Linderhof


Gardening, Cooking and Decorating on the Prairie of Kansas


Welcome to Linderhof, our 1920's home on the prairie, where there's usually something in the oven, flowers in the garden for tabletops and herbs in the garden for cooking. Where, when company comes, the teapot is always on and there are cookies and cakes to share in the larder.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Reprise -- Bulbs An October Tradition

This post is originally from October 2008. And I'm still planting bulbs every fall!!! I must say that "my eyes are bigger than my endurance" for I bring home way too many bags of bulbs each year.

But tirelessly I work to get them in the ground so that each spring Linderhof is abloom with tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

This year, my bulb bags were fewer but still far too many for my endurance (after my surgery) but finally -- not in October but in November, I did get them in the ground -- 100 tulip bulbs and 25 hyacinths.

All in the back garden where we can see them from the breakfast room table.

It should be a stunning display!

It's Sunday and I can't think of a better favorite than fall bulb planting . . . please join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday Favorites!


A big basket of bulbs is an October tradition. Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths. I've been planting bulbs for most of the 20 Octobers that we've lived at Linderhof and spring makes quite a show.
The daffodils have multiplied and some years I've bought more expensive and fewer bulbs so we have some unusual flowers come spring. Other years I've bought a big sack of more common daffodils like Mount Hood.

The tulips, too, range in all colors but unfortunately, they, unlike the daffs, don't multiply. But I still like the tulips anyway and plant a good supply of them each fall.

I love hyacinths for their smell is incomparable! Blue and white and purply ones mostly -- I don't really care for the pink ones. Often I'll get a few bulbs to chill and force in January in my bulb vases. They make the whole house smell good.

This year, however, instead of the regular hyacinths, I got a bag of the little grape hyacinths -- muscari. I've never planted them at Linderhof and I can't wait for them to bloom. I planted most of them around the center fountain in the herb garden but there were a few "strays" that I found when my bulb basket was empty -- these I planted in the spot where I found them in the basket -- so there should be two surprise showings of the muscari.
With my jar of bone meal -- a must for planting bulbs, it's fun to take the basket of bulbs on a nice October day with the sun on your back -- and plant spring flowers! The only hard part is trying to remember where there are already bulbs -- you don't want to dig up already planted bulbs!

6 comments:

Bernideen said...

Martha:
Hi - I hope things are coming along well. I know it takes time. This is a good time to "research" recipes, decorating ideas, etc. I too planted 100 tulip bulbs and 100 daffodils where I had only a few before. I know the squirrels dug some up early on! Today Mr. Red Fox was in my yard!

Pondside said...

We planted our bulbs a couple of weeks ago and we had the same challenge as you.....where have we already planted bulbs?

Savannah Granny said...

Hi, Glad to hear that you are able to get up and down with the knee thing. Gets better everyday.
Be sure to show us the results this spring.
I am back from my travels and trying to catch up. Please stop by for a visit, Ginger

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hello Martha...

Well my friend, I for one always enjoy seeing the beautiful spring flowers in your gardens! It is alot of work but the beautiful blooms sure make it all worthwhile! I love Hyacinths but have never tried to grow them. They really do come in the most beautiful shades of purple and blues...and bluish purples! I will be looking forward to your spring gardens at Linderhof this year, my friend!

Thank you for joining in with Sunday Favorites this week!

Warmest Thanksgiving wishes to you and yours...
Chari @Happy To Design

Anonymous said...

Blooming spring bulbs are always a delight!
We have many squirrels, so mostly have to stay with allium, grape hyacinth and daffodil. And the bunnies like to eat the tulip blooms if the bulbs are allowed to survive!

On Crooked Creek said...

Martha,
You are so energetic since your surgery! Glad you're able to get around and do all that Fall planting for the Spring harvest of blooms! Surely to be a feast for the eyes!We feed to many squirrels here on the prairie and they dig up and eat the blulbs. After our first year here, we gave up! I'll be anxiously awaiting the photos of those blooms!
Fondly,
Pat