If you live in the New York City area, daytime temperatures are expected to be in the 40s and 50s this weekend - a good time to plant those bulbs.
My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been hard at work planting spring-flowering bulbs around my farm. The bulbs are from Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs, a third-generation wholesale flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. Yesterday, they tackled the beds around my Japanese Maple Woodland and the areas near my hoop houses and chicken coops. They planted snowdrops, Spanish bluebells, and crocus. They will all look so marvelous come spring.
Enjoy these photos.
Bulbs are packaged in batches of 50, 100, 500, and a thousand. They come in these breathable sacks and crates. They are also packed in paper bags, boxes, and plastic pouches depending on the bulbs’ humidity needs. They must be kept moist without being wet.
On this day, Ryan and Phurba plant bulbs at the edge of my Japanese Maple Woodland, which continues to show off its vibrant fall colors.
For planting smaller bulbs, my gardeners use T-handled dibbers, which are pressed into the soil to make narrow holes.
Bulbs come in different sizes and forms. Shown here is a Galanthus bulb, or snowdrop. True bulbs can be either tunicate, with a papery covering or non-tunicate without the covering.
Galanthus start out as small bulbs that produce a delicate white bell-shaped blossom atop a sturdy rich green stem.
Each bulb is placed in a hole about three to five inches deep. The dibber is perfect for planting these bulbs.
On many bulbs, it is easy to see which end is the top and which end is the bottom.
Bulbs are always positioned with the pointed end faced up, or root end faced down. This is very important, so the plant grows properly from the bulb. Here is a bulb positioned perfectly.
And look who came to help, hello my “Blue Boys.” My peacocks and peahens are very friendly and very curious.
This is a crocus bulb. These show a flattened shape, slightly pointed head, and a tunic covering. The bulbs are firm in texture and can be identified by their fleshy scales and small hair-like roots.
Crocus blooms are early season flowers that pop up usually in shades of white, yellow, and purple.
I plant crocus in many areas around the farm. They look beautiful planted en masse. And over time, these bulbs will naturalize and multiply to produce more flowers every year.
These bulbs are Spanish Bluebells, which Ryan plants in another bed not far from my allée of lilacs.
Spanish Bluebells, or Hyacinthoides hispanica, are shade-tolerant plants that bear spikes of lightly fragrant, blue flowers.
Ryan carries bags of bulbs to their designated beds and plants them in batches.
Ryan uses the auger attachment to make holes. The ground is a bit hard from the recent cold, but it’s still workable.
Ryan applies pressure to make the holes about four to six inches deep. Holes should be about three times the bulb’s width and depth.
He makes a series of holes in the space first, being very careful not to poke any bulbs previously planted in the area.
Here is a bulb positioned correctly in its hole. If it is planted upside down, the flower will still grow, but it will likely take a bit longer.
Ryan plants an entire section before backfilling, so he knows what holes he has planted.
Once a section is done, Phurba backfills and drops bulbs in any holes that are still vacant.
The crew is excellent at planting, and works in an efficient assembly line process. The team is getting the job done, but there are still thousands of spring-blooming bulbs to plant!
It’s time to plant all those spring-blooming bulbs!
Every year, I plant thousands of spring-blooming bulbs here at my farm. Yesterday, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew started planting in my pergola garden - one of the first areas I see when I drive into my property. They planted camassias and alliums. The bulbs are from Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs - a third generation flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. I always find it exciting to plant bulbs in the fall that stay hidden underground for many months - it's such a wonderful surprise of color when they bloom in spring.
Enjoy these photos.
If you haven’t yet planted your spring-blooming bulbs, this is the time to do it. Every year, I order lots of bulbs in batches of 50, 100, 500, and a thousand. These bulbs are from Colorblends – they come in these breathable sacks and crates. This year, 10-thousand bulbs in all.
The Colorblends facility is housed in an old factory originally built in 1879. Colorblends has been selling bulbs for more than 50-years.
The Colorblends warehouse is large and filled with all kinds of bulbs that arrive from the Netherlands in early fall. While Colorblends does handle some bulb order pickups, the company mainly ships bulbs to customers from online catalog orders and by phone. Once the bulbs are ready, they are delivered according to a planting map. After the first frost in one’s area, bulbs can be planted safely for about two months.
Once at the farm, my head-gardener Ryan McCallister organizes them by type and groups them where they will be planted.
One of the first areas we plant is the long pergola garden across the carriage road from my beautiful bald cypress trees – look at the gorgeous russet brown colored fall foliage of these trees. The feathery needles look so pretty covering the ground.
There are several different tools used for planting bulbs depending on the size of the bulb. Here we have traditional long handled bulb planters made with powder-coated steel. The six inch barrel is perfect for planting most bulbs and has a 37 inch long handle for planting ease. We also use the shorter bulb planters – each crew member has his favorite tool.
Ryan sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer first. I use Miracle-Gro. The food should be a balanced fertilizer that has a good amount of phosphorous. Fertilizing spring-blooming bulbs feeds and helps them fight off diseases and pests.
Here I like to plant lots of camassia and alliums. When purchasing bulbs, always look for those that are plump and firm, and avoid those that are soft. These bulbs from Colorblends are in great condition. Bulbs come in a variety of sizes depending on the flower – the bigger the bulb the more time it has to grow and the bigger the flower bloom.
This is an allium bulb. True bulbs can be either tunicate, with a papery covering or non-tunicate without the covering. This is a tunicate bulb. On many bulbs, it is also easy to see which end is the top and which end has the roots.
Alliums are often overlooked as one of the best bulbs for constant color throughout the season. They come in oval, spherical, or globular flower shapes, blooming in magnificent colors atop tall stems. An allium flower head is a cluster of individual florets and the flower color may be purple, white, yellow, pink, or blue.
This is an elongated tunicate camassia bulb. And do you know… these bulbs are actually edible? Camassia bulbs were a major food source for some Native American tribes and early European Settlers, but they were very difficult to distinguish from other bulbs, which were deadly poisonous.
Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to Canada and the United States. Common names include camas, quamash, Indian hyacinth, camash, and wild hyacinth. They grow to a height of 12 to 50 inches and vary in color from pale lilac or white to deep purple or blue-violet.
Ryan tosses the bulbs naturally along the entire length of the pergola garden. Where they fall is where they will be planted.
Using the stand-up bulb planter, Phurba is able to make holes faster without kneeling.
This tool is best for planting larger bulbs that need to be buried at least six-inches deep. He makes a hole just next to where the bulb was tossed.
One by one, each bulb is carefully placed into a hole, with the pointed end faced up, or root end faced down. This is very important, so the plant grows properly from the bulb.
Because the pergola garden is long, this bed will need hundreds of bulbs to fill it. Most bulbs do best in full sun with at least six hours of direct sunlight a day and well-drained soil.
Ryan uses a stainless steel bulb planter drill attachment.
In general, holes should be three times deeper than the bulb’s length.
Each of these bulbs is planted in a hole at least six-inches deep. There are already many other bulbs planted here, so Phurba and Ryan are very careful when planting additional bulbs in this space.
Phurba works fast. He is able to get hundreds of bulbs planted in just a few hours.
The area will also get a covering of composted mulch made right here at the farm. I am glad the weather has allowed us a good head start this season. I cannot wait to see the fruits of our labor, and the swaths of color that will emerge in spring.
Orchids are among the largest and most diverse groups of flowering plants with more than 25 thousand species found around the world.
The Orchid House at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is a place where one can view some stunning orchid specimens. Longwood features hundreds of beautiful potted orchids displayed in a newly restored gallery-like room on custom frame trellises. The garden's collection was started by founder Pierre S. du Pont and his wife, Alice, in the 1920s and now includes more than 5000 different plants representing 2000 different groups.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The Orchid House at Longwood displays 250 to 300 different orchid plants at any time. They are hand-selected and rotated several times a week.
The gallery-like space which was restored in 2022 still includes a lot of the original bronze detailing and ironwork, but now includes a much more advanced system for maintaining the proper heat and humidity in the room.
Cattleya orchids are known for their large, fragrant flowers. This is x Rhyncholaeliocattleya Star of Bethlehem ‘Tall Oaks.’ It is an orchid hybrid from 1976.
A slipper orchid, specifically the lady slipper orchid, is characterized by its slipper-shaped pouch that resembles a shoe.
This slipper orchid, Paphiopedilum Maudiae ‘Magnificum’ is a unique green and white orchid with variegated leaves. It was first registered in 1900.
This is an Oncidium orchid, commonly known as a dancing lady orchid. These epiphytic plants are loved for their vibrant colors and unique flower shapes. This variety is Oncidium Lisa Devos.
Phalaenopsis I-Hsin Sesame ‘OX1178’ has fine red spots on white to cream colored petals. Phalaenopsis orchids are also called moth orchids and known for their long-lasting flat blooms.
This orchid is x Bratonia Pelican Lake ‘Talisman Cove’ – an interesting hybrid created in 1988. These hybrids are loved by orchid enthusiasts because of their unique and vibrant colors.
Another hybrid is x Lysudamuloa Yi-Ying Sakura. Many hybrid orchids are easier to care for than their parent species making them very popular for growers and orchid enthusiasts.
Phalaenopsis OX Red Sesame ‘OX1699’ features a charming blend of delicate and vibrant red and white blooms.
This unique specimen is Bulbophyllum rothschildianum ‘Red Chimney’ with large deep red umbells that emerge in late October to November. Bulbophyllum orchids have fringed petals, glossy textures and sometimes unique scents.
Here is a deep red slipper orchid Paphiopedilum King Arthur. These orchids thrive in bright, indirect light in temperatures from 65-degrees Fahrenheit to 80-degrees Fahrenheit whether indoors or out.
Another beautiful orchid is the Dendrobium Jaquelyn Thomas ‘Uniwai Supreme.’ This hybrid is part of a group of Jaquelyn Thomas orchids developed and cloned at the Universiry of Hawaii in the 1970s. The 18 to 24 inch flower spikes are topped with spoon shaped flowers in white, purple and pink.
This hybrid x Rhyncholaeliocattleya Greenwhich ‘Elmhurst’ is bright creamy yellow with a bold purple lip edge. Orchids are defined by their unique flower structure, specifically the reproductive parts which are fused into a single column and distinguishes them from other flowering plants.
Bulbophyllum Elizabeth Ann ‘Buckleberry’ stands out with its long drooping flowers and unique striped pattern.
This orchid is Miltoniopsis Mary Catherine Messina. These Miltoniopsis orchids are often known as the “Pansy Orchid” due to the large, fragrant flowers. Another unique feature of the orchid is their pollen which forms sticky balls called pollinia or pollen sacs.
This Phalaenopsis is Chi Yueh Four Peace. Notice, it features a third petal instead of a lip, which makes it rare and more sought-after by growers.
This Oncidium sotoanum is from South Mexico & Central America. The flowers are on arching to pendulous stems with numerous long-lasting, small pink flowers that are intensely fragrant.
And this is x Bratonia Charles M. Fitch ‘Izumi,’ with star-shaped flowers adorned with purple petals and a purple lip.
Miltoniopsis Hajime Ono ‘Standing Tall’ is also known for its fragrant blooms. The flowers have white and deep pink colored petals. This particular orchid variety is sensitive to drought and needs frequent watering to thrive.
There are so many different types of orchids to see and admire. If you love orchids as much as I do, and can visit the Orchid House at Longwood, please do so an talk to the experts – your visit will be informational and inspiring.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
