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Brown Thumbs
- Senior Member
- Posts: 142
- Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:50 pm
- Location: South US
What a mess...any suggestions?
Previous owner planted a bed of bulbs, which I believe are white iris, in a section of our yard. They flower early each spring and tend to look like this during the remainder of the year. How should I handle this grass and weed problem? Can I mow them down since they've flowered and put pine straw or something over them to keep the grass and weeds out? There's also a spot that is getting larger where they aren't growing at all (bottom of picture). I don't really care for these, but hate to get rid of them. My preference would be to have various types of bulbs that would flower spring through fall, not just one quick time and that's it.
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sweetiepie
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:18 pm
- Location: York, ND (Zone 3b)
Yes, I would mow and mulch. It can be overwhelming to re dig up that whole bed and thin it out. To me, that is what it looks like it needs.
I would start with the end that is dying and maybe cut the bed into fourths or thirds. Each year take a section and dig up, split up what is there, re-plant, thin out, give away pieces. At that time work in some new dirt or fertilize. Then come fall add something new to that section. I tend to find it hard to spend money on flowers, though I do like them so for me to break it up and spend money on a few bulbs or plants would be ok.
I would start with the end that is dying and maybe cut the bed into fourths or thirds. Each year take a section and dig up, split up what is there, re-plant, thin out, give away pieces. At that time work in some new dirt or fertilize. Then come fall add something new to that section. I tend to find it hard to spend money on flowers, though I do like them so for me to break it up and spend money on a few bulbs or plants would be ok.
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Brown Thumbs
- Senior Member
- Posts: 142
- Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:50 pm
- Location: South US
What other bulbs would be good to mix in with these? This spot is a long way from the house and watering probably won't be an option. I'd like the bed to produce flowers throughout the year if possible, not just once. I don't want day lilies for sure. Ours now multiply like crazy and require watering a lot in the summer months to make flowers.
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sweetiepie
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:18 pm
- Location: York, ND (Zone 3b)
I planted alliums shortly before I moved. I think I was at the house one year before we moved 3 hours away. I still have the house because my college age son thought he might move back there and housing is very hard there. So I am renting it out until he setteles down. Anyway, the alliums get no water and are on the south side of the house, no fertilizer since I moved 4 years ago. About once a year I sort of take time to weed the bed but they end up with some weed competition. Of course Irises are in the bed too. I have no idea if this is the normal but they seem to do great. They don't seem to be spreading but they don't have great conditions either to encourage it.
The grow tall, so they would be above the Iris foilage. Just a thought.
https://www.brecks.com/product/Big_Impac ... aQod5VwAyg
The grow tall, so they would be above the Iris foilage. Just a thought.
https://www.brecks.com/product/Big_Impac ... aQod5VwAyg
Perennials beds should be divided and the beds amended with compost,manure and bulb food. Larger bulbs will bloom, smaller ones will need a couple of years to grow. It will be a good time to get out the weeds in the bed and put a border around it to keep the grass from infiltrating. The extra bulbs can be given away or potted up.
Where I volunteer, we have a monthly plant sale and people donate plants and pots to us. We only ask the the plant be identified and that they bring it the Thursday or Friday before the sale since we don't have enough space for the plants we do grow. I and another volunteer grow herbs for the sale every month. We both start them at home and bring most of them in right before the sale as there is only one bench for growing out herbs and the watering is unreliable so it is not suitable for starting herbs.
Another member of the forum says that her neighborhood has a plant swap and that would be a good way to get to know the neighbors.
Most bulbs bloom once a year, The rest of the time the leaves are structural. I would replant the bulbs in clusters of at least 3 or more, they make a better show when they bloom when they are in clusters. Do not put them in a row, but space them throughout. Depending on the amount of sun you get, you can put in other perennials that bloom at different times of the year, also in clusters around them. You can also over seed the space with annuals that will give you bloom in summer and also help to crowd out the weeds. I you do use annuals, and you want a more formal look then only choose one color like red or yellow instead of a mix of colors which would be more informal.
if it is a shadier spot you could use plants with colorful foliage and vary texture and shape, like Elephant's ear, heuchera, hosta.
In the sun, geraniums are good at covering spaces and have a long bloom period. Day lilies will bloom nearly all summer long so you would have the bulbs in the spring followed by day lilies in summer. Annuals like zinnia, cosmos, marigolds can be fillers.
Where I volunteer, we have a monthly plant sale and people donate plants and pots to us. We only ask the the plant be identified and that they bring it the Thursday or Friday before the sale since we don't have enough space for the plants we do grow. I and another volunteer grow herbs for the sale every month. We both start them at home and bring most of them in right before the sale as there is only one bench for growing out herbs and the watering is unreliable so it is not suitable for starting herbs.
Another member of the forum says that her neighborhood has a plant swap and that would be a good way to get to know the neighbors.
Most bulbs bloom once a year, The rest of the time the leaves are structural. I would replant the bulbs in clusters of at least 3 or more, they make a better show when they bloom when they are in clusters. Do not put them in a row, but space them throughout. Depending on the amount of sun you get, you can put in other perennials that bloom at different times of the year, also in clusters around them. You can also over seed the space with annuals that will give you bloom in summer and also help to crowd out the weeds. I you do use annuals, and you want a more formal look then only choose one color like red or yellow instead of a mix of colors which would be more informal.
if it is a shadier spot you could use plants with colorful foliage and vary texture and shape, like Elephant's ear, heuchera, hosta.
In the sun, geraniums are good at covering spaces and have a long bloom period. Day lilies will bloom nearly all summer long so you would have the bulbs in the spring followed by day lilies in summer. Annuals like zinnia, cosmos, marigolds can be fillers.