Plant of the Week - 2 special Daffodils

What's not to love about daffodils?  Their sunny faces greet us with smiles on spring mornings when, for us here in the mountains anyway, not much else is going on in the garden. And they're just so darn cheerful, I feel sorry for the soul so sad they don't smile when they see a meadow of daffodils.

Of the thousands and thousands of varieties, I'm featuring two favorites this week due to their intoxicating fragrance.  Now this is not a paper-white fragrance, which many seem to think smells like cats wee, this is a a lovely, tropcial fragrace that will delight the nose.
 

"Cheerfulness" is an all-time fave.  A double daffodil, it is lovely to look at, and the fragrance will fill your entire garden.  Well, depending on how large your garden  is!  And like most daffodils, they multiply year after year for a better and better show.  As if the fragrance wasn't enough, this is a very florific daff, producing multiple flowers per stem.  In this age of budget conciousness, this gives you lots of bang for your buck!

12 - 18" tall, it is excellent for cut arrangements, so plant extra!  Plant them close to a walkway or door so the spring breezes will bring the fragrance in.
This also comes in a yellow variety for areas where you need bright color. 

"Minnow"  is a real charmer - a miniature daffodil, in the Tazetta family. It gets only 5 - 8" tall - how cunning!  It is wonderful for the edge of garden borders and in front of moss rocks you don't want to hide. 

It has a wonderful fragrance and abundant flowers, and multiplies very well in the garden.  It's another very florific daffodil, with 3-5 blossoms per stem.    It is lovely cut and makes a wonderful gift to cheer a friend down with a Spring cold. 

If you have young children or grandchildren, tell them you planted this just for them and they will be entranced!

Of course now is not the time to plant bulbs.  But great varieties like these sell out quickly, usually way before you ever think of ordering them.   Before you forget (we all do!!), contact us to get on our list for Fall bulb installs. Don't let another Spring roll around without these lovelies gracing your garden.  We'll put your garden on the Fall calendar and create a lovely early Spring fragrant bulb display for you.  And save you money with our wholesale prices! 

Email us today at artfulgardens@comcast.net, or call 970-379-4956. 

Plant of the Week

Iris reticulata

When there is nothing else going on in the garden in late winter, eager gardeners can count on this miniature iris to cheer them up. Available in several colors, it is a very small plant with a large, fragrant flower, and looks wonderful surrounded by very early miniature crocus (regular crocus will bloom too late) of a contrasting color. The combination is a lovely addition to the garden, and will bloom early to late March from Glenwood to Basalt, a bit later closer to Aspen. Flowers in March - yippee!


Since iris reticulata it is only 5” -7” tall, it should be planted in your more southern-facing gardens in very visible spots.  You want it next to a walkway or right outside your window where you’ll be able to see and enjoy this diminuitive charmer.

The ideal place for this combination is in a rock garden, or on a slight slope where it will show very well.

Don’t plant these in a deer traffic area, their hooves will destroy the little flowers and make you sad. And we don’t want sad gardeners!

Look around your garden this spring to find locations that would look good with this plant combination, then order them early to plant this Fall.  Or call us to get on our schedule for Fall bulb planting – it’s so easy to forget until it’s too late!  You don't want another Spring to pass with no March flowers, do you?

Don’t skimp on these bulbs, they show best if planted in groups of at least 20 bulbs each. The crocuses sometimes start week earlier than the iris, so we plant them a tad deeper than usual to delay them a bit. Timing is everything……

Some nice yellow miniature crocuses are Crocus 'Uschak Orange, Crocus korolkowii, and Crocus “Early Gold'. For a good miniature crocus selection - http://www.odysseybulbs.com/springcrocus.html

More information on iris reticulata http://www.theplantexpert.com/springbulbs/DwarfIris.html

A favorite iris reticulata – wonderful blue! http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/BIRHA.html

To Do in the Garden

For you intrepid do-it-yourselfers
1.  Clean up areas where bulbs are planted, to showcase them better. Best to do it now, before flowering starts.  On a nice day, cut back any grasses and plants in your bulb beds, then clean up leaves and debris and rake the area.  Cover with 1/2 - 1"  fresh mulch for a finished look.  Small bulbs like crocuses show much better in a tidy mulched bed!  They don't look anywhere near as pretty half covered with leaves.

2.  Clean up wildflower areas.  Cut any remaining plants back to the ground.  Rake the area lightly, then  cover it with fine screened Cottonboll compost. Sprinkle new wildflower seed of the plants that you want more of.

3.  Cut back Miscanthus grasses before they start getting messy and starts spreading grass everywhere.  For large grasses, it's easiest to tie a rope around the bunch to contain the grass, then cut away with good shears.  For really large bunches, we've used a chainsaw with good success. And it's more fun for people (I won't actually come out and say men, but you know who you are!) who prefer their gardens come with engines and motors.  For a great tutorial with pictures follow this link:  http://www.northcoastgardening.com/2010/01/pruning-miscanthus-grass/

4.  If you're a grow-it-yourselfer, it's time to start early spring hardy annuals, early veggies such as lettuce, any perennials, and peppers and tomatoes indoors in a warm, sunny location.
5.  Trim all spiraea back 3-6" in a rounded shape, before the new growth starts. If they're getting too large and bushy, remove about 1/4 of the branches at the ground.