Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Plant of the Month-March 09

I was out of town this weekend and when I came back on Sunday-spring had sprung! The march of daffodils is so bright and cheerful that it can't help but warm my heart. There can be no other Plant of the Month for March here at Tiger Gardens than daffodils. I was glad spring had popped them all out just in time for my Plant of the Month post, because the red camellia is looking like a mighty strong contender, but of course the daffodils win! The above pictured daffodil is 'Ice Follies'. It is a very easy to grow daffodil, naturalizes freely and is a joy. This is one in my front garden that I had moved here last spring. The move during the growing season set this one and several in the front garden back, but it is okay as they will catch up soon.

Here the other 'Ice Follies' growing in one of the front foundation beds. Next year there should be nice clumps where you see only one daffodil growing. Yes, I know they are planted in straight lines. The front foundation beds do just fine with 'soldiers' growing in them. I have a Cape Cod style house with some straight lines along the sidewalk, I like the effect of the neat line in front of it. I think it gives the effect of a cottage garden with a nice row of flowering plants in front of it. What you can't see, are the muscari also planted with these daffodils. They bloom a bit later. I suspect they'll be in bloom with the pansies that are also lined up here.


Here is the 'Heuchera Garden' area of the Woodland Garden area. These 'Ice Follies' have naturalized beautifully. They look really super growing with the hellebores. You might not notice the hellebores, but they are there near the second clump of these daffodils.

This is another shot of the foundation bed. These daffodils are 'Tete-e-Tete' daffodils. I love this little naturalizers. They just can't be stopped, despite their small stature. Tiger Gardens is also inundated with these daffodils.

And one last picture to leave you with. This is a long shot towards the north in the front yard. To the right is the Roadside Shrub border, the center garden is filled with daffodils and azaleas and other shrubs and flowers, straight ahead is the Northside Shrub border. All are filled with daffodils, and muscari; my two favorite bulbs. To say we are awash in daffodils might be an understatement, as I truly love them and plant them approximately every 3 feet in all directions in all my gardens, and even in the lawn out back. They are not yet in bloom, but I have posted about them before under
daffodils.

Daffodils should be planted approximately 4-5 times deeper than their diameter, so about 4-5 inches. I always add a bit of bone meal or bulb booster to the planting hole at planting time and supplement with wood ashes in the spring. Wood ashes provide potassium for the blooms. Potassium is the third number on most fertilizer bags, and is an essential plant nutrient for plants. Use the wood ashes sparingly since they can raise the pH level of your garden. Daffodils are not picky about drainage in my experience here in Tennessee; where we have a great deal of clay soil. Be sure not to cut down or braid the foliage after the plant is done flowering. Daffodils continue to make and store energy for next year's blooms, so they need the leaves. Daffodils would prefer sun, but all of mine are growing under deciduous trees and do just fine in shade. It helps the trees are not leafed out yet too. Just plant properly and enjoy daffodil blooms for many years to come.

This month, instead of just telling you my pick for Plant of the Month in my garden, I'd really love to hear about the plant you would choose for Plant of the Month in your garden. The criteria I use to choose my Plant of the month are pretty simple; I want it to be a great bloomer with a long period of bloom during that month, and easy to grow for anyone. Northern areas may have limited selections but give it your best shot! If you like, a houseplant will work too if there is nothing in the garden. Southern areas will have tons to choose from this month. Additionally, depending on weather conditions this bloom may change from year to year. It has not for me in the two years I've been posting this post, but you never know for 2010. Those camellias were pretty close this year.

So I ask you dear readers, what is your Plant of the Month for March? And if you don't mind, please add in your growing zone, state, country, or region of the world so folks with similar growing conditions or folks in your area who read this blog can identify a good bloomer in your garden that might work in theirs as well. My zone is on the border of Zone 6/7. I live in northwest Middle Tennessee. I will post a link to this post on my sidebar until next month's Plant of the Month comes up on the 10th. What will it be??

in the garden....

35 comments:

  1. As you know, my garden isn't big on flowers. But here in London, zone 9a, the plants looking their best are the daffodils like yours, the crocuses (especially where they're planted in huge swathes at Kew Gardens and RHS Wisley) and the cherry trees. That's March in London!

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  2. Good morning Tina, My favorite plant of the month is Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)...it is popping up in the garden and will carpet lawns in my neighborhood this month. It is an ephemeral and will disappear until next year. I will add it to my patio lawn area soon! Have a great day in the garden. gail

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  3. I still have a foot of snow! But I think your daffy's look wonderful!

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  4. Good morning all!

    Julia, Those daffs and crocuses are sure a sight! I've never seen so many crocuses in one spot before.

    Gail, Spring beauty is a must for me. Gots to go to GroWild soon I am sure. That patio is looking might good.

    Dawn, Hang in there!

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  5. Good morning Tina, Plant of the month?? hmm... Many of my daffodils are up with more to go and I really love Tete-e-Tete. My T-e-T is center front row in the front yard garden. A relatively new addition (second year) is the Bridal Wreath Spirea which just started like popcorn this weekend. So it might be a tie. I live in zone 7b in southern Virginia in the Tidewater region.
    Janet

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  6. Morning Janet. I like your choices for best bloomers in your garden this month! And I like ties too:) Hard to choose just one~!

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  7. Tina for me here in zone 7 it's the Jonquil, Early Louisiana I posted about. They never disappoint me. I pick little bouquets for inside and the sweet smell (it's delightful!) makes my kitchen smell so good. Plant of the month here in Garland, Texas--
    Jonquil, Early Louisiana! :)

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  8. Good Morning Everyone,
    Here in my zone 8/9 North Central Fl. the daffies, snowdrops & azaleas are a big show now.
    I only have a few daffies but will be adding more in different places in my gardens.
    It's hard for me to pick just one as I like them all.
    Have a super day all.

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  9. Easy. Plant of the month for March for me is forsythia. We have it down about a third of our boundry on one side, planted by our neighboru about 40 years ago from a cutting in the house he was born in, half a mile away. We keep it fairly neat. We have a fence up to half height and I grow other things for interest along it. The birds love for nesing in, and it flourishes here whatever the weather. I know many don't like it, but to me it's a top plant.

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  10. The daffs look great Tina! I added 100 last year and need more. Underneath the Bradford pears would look great since they both bloom around the same time. Forsythia is a good choice for March, or maybe hyacinths. Ours are just about blooming. Of course if it has to be blooming by the tenth then they would be out! Zone 6b here.

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  11. Tina, I especially love that last shot, with the daffodils lining the curved path... it's lovely.

    My pick for March plant of the month is our native Trout Lily. Although I adore daffodils, when the Trout Lily blooms it means spring has arrived.

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  12. Morning Tina, Your Daffodils are lovely. You really did brighten up the day with that color. I'm in Washington state zone 7/8 and I guess I'd say crocuses. Mine are up but not blooming yet but I've seen great shows of them down below us.

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  13. Ice Follies is a pretty selection of Narcissus! I love the white petals with the yellow cups, great combination. I would say that the Forsythia is my plant of the month for March since it started blooming at the beginning of this month and is a full mass of blooms right now.

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  14. Forgot to add that I am in Newport New, VA zone 7b. :)

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  15. With my couple of inches of snow still in my zone 5 your DD'S sure look good to me. They always look so cheerful.

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  16. In my zone 7/8 of eastern Georgia, I would have to pick Forsythia and Bridal wreath and wild pears. They have been blooming since February and blooming all over town! The daffys would be my choice if I had them here before now! I am adding them so next year, they may be my choice. Thanks on the advice of planting them deep. I dont believe I have planted my new ones deep enough but will once I move them later this year...

    Another day in the yard planned today. Was 84-degrees and hot yesterday...

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  17. Love the daffs too, Tina. I would have to say azaleas for this area would be my choice. They are gorgeous right now and will last into April. The white one in my latest post is an Encore azalea which blooms twice a year, spring and fall, so it's twice a winner.

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  18. You are going to laugh. My plant of the month is a Christmas Cactus. It just bloomed!! Only 3 months late! And it's the only bloomin' thing bloomin' around here.

    Your daffs are fab, Tina!

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  19. I love those tete-a-tete minis! I think I'll go for lots of those when we remove more sod for beds. I only wish I had a plant of the month for March. Nothing is blooming - not even my lone hellebore (I need to move it from the shade of the house to the shade of a deciduous tree so it will get sun in winter and bloom earlier). And with frigid temps and more snow this week, nothing's going to be blooming soon. But we'll be patient for lovely April!

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  20. I think I need to plant more daffodils this fall! I have the little tete-a-tetes but that's about it.
    I'm zone 7/8 in Washington state and I think I'd say for March in my garden the plant of the month would be muscari. They've really natuarlized well, have lots of blooms and make a very cute little cut flower. I might have to change my vote as the month goes on as I see what comes into bloom.

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  21. I think 3 weeks later or two, our lokks same...they are coming, yours are looking very beautyful !!!Kathrin

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  22. This year, the crocuses will probably be nominated for plant of the month March. Here in Belgium, we have a late spring this year.
    In other years, the choice is wider, and more difficult. I told about glory-of-the-snow today, but I adore my wild daffodils (Narcissus pseudo-narcissus) and poet's narcissus (Narcissus poeticus) and my fumewort (Corydalis solida).

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  23. What a welcome surprise for you when you returned home, Tina. Here in zone 5a/b,crocuses should be blooming in March, but of the 60 or more I planted last fall, I haven't seen a sign of one! (I wonder if those pesky squirrels are sneaking up to the house while the cats are sleeping.) I would definitely pick daffodils, too, if any bloomed this early. For now, I'm going to have to pick the green shoots of daffodils that are poking through the ground. Every day I check their progress, so I guess the promise of daffodils is enough of a plant of the month for me:)

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  24. Hi Tina, there is no contest, the daffodils must be the plant of the month here too. The very early Rijnveld's Early Sensation will bloom for nearly the whole month. Others are showier, but that one spreads like crazy and it just the most cheerful thing when winter really has overstayed its welcome.
    Frances

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  25. Hi all, On my way to the mini course but wanted to say hey! Busy day in the garden-you'll see a bit tomorrow.

    It is something to hear all the variety of good bloomers in yourall's gardens! Looking forward to next months now.

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  26. Tina, Is yourall's a word? I think you have been in the south way too long girl. lol....

    I had a great day in the garden also. I may have to change a schedule post to show the results. tee hee...

    I so love this time of year!!!

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  27. Now Skeeter, I know I could count on you for pointing out my 'new' word (on the blog anyhow). Yup, been down south way too long! Yeah on getting your planter done-now comes the fun part. This time of the year is really awesome! Another flock of cedar waxwings were hanging around today. Gotta love it...the little things.

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  28. Very nice daffodils, they are one of my favorites. Mine are still just poking out of the soil, a little heat and they will be up in no time.

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  29. Tina, who wouldn't love to return home to beauty like you have!! Ice Follies is so pretty, I am waiting for some similar to them to come up here.

    Since we still have nothing blooming, it is hard to come up with a March flower, but if I had my druthers it would be forsythia. Nothing shouts spring here like big beautiful bushes of yellow. I live in zone 5b. Thanks for the great eye candy.

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  30. My daffodils are taking their sweet time! Can I choose hellebore for my plant of the month, even though it's been blooming for quite some time. Zone 8, Washington state.

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  31. Hey all, Not sure why I am still up, very tired now after the garden all day. But all of your plant choices are excellent! I've heard: daffodils, jonquils, forsythia, crocus, bridal wreath, spring beauty, azaleas, snowdrops, hyacinths, hellebores, trout lilies, Christmas cactus, hellebores. I think I have them all. It is not too surprising to me the crocuses and daffodils are running a close race despite the wide area of all of your blogs and growing conditions. Thanks so much for all of your inputs!

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  32. Yay Ice Follies! After major garden disturbances a couple years ago it only appears that one bulb survived, and it's blooming right now. I've never appreciated it so much.

    There's a certain amount starting to bloom and I'd have a hard time picking one, but near the top of the list would be some native dichelostemma bulbs I put in a decade ago. They've divided and naturalized in several spots and are starting up a bloom that's going to go on for six weeks or so. Nothing spectacular, but nothing says spring in this area as much as these.

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  33. James, I hope those Ice Follies return for you. They are so easy. Your plant of the month sounds so interesting. I will have to look and see a post on these native bulbs.

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  34. Hi Tina, My daff's are sprouting too...but not yet blooming. HOWEVER, I went out and bought some in bloom, planted them, and they look gorgeous! I got the tete-e-tetes, and 3 different varieties of daffodils! I'm not certain that daff's are my plant of the month, though. I would say it's the Hellebore that I have out there in the garden, all alone, but now in bloom.

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  35. Tina... you are so far ahead of me. The other day I saw chives popping out of the ground and they lifted my spirits... so with fresh herbs about to be cooked with. I vote for chives.

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