Planting Garlic and Shallots
Hello friends,
A couple of weeks ago I was finally able to get all my garlic and shallot bulbs into the ground. I've been meaning to for a while, but first I had to weed, and then dig over the vege garden bed they were to go into.
Once hubby and I did the hard work of weeding and digging the vege garden bed one Saturday afternoon, I pulled out my trusty bulb planter, and got to work first planting out six shallot bulbs that I had picked up from our local garden centre. I haven't planted shallots before, so this is a small experiment to see if they were worth doing so in the coming years.
Once they were in the ground, I planted out a couple of bulbs of Printanor garlic I also purchased from our local garden center. I've grown these for years, but I've had some problems with garlic rust with this variety each December.
Next up were the garlic varieties I bought from Bulbs Direct. I've wanted to try new varieties to see if they were more resistant to garlic rust, and I was also interested in how they tasted. I planted a bulb of Creole garlic, which is supposed to taste very intense and much more firey than other garlic varieties. Creole garlic has beautiful red/burgundy cloves when the bulb is broken up for planting.
And the last garlic variety to plant was Fire which was also from Bulbs Direct. Fire garlic is supposed to form large bulbs and have a fierce spicy taste.
And now with all that planting done, my garlic and shallot bulbs are in the ground for the next 6 - 7 months. I hope come the end of December, there is a large harvest for me to dig up.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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Planting Tulips
Hello friends,
A little while ago I did an online order for garlic bulbs to plant this autumn, and while I was on the Bulbs Direct website buying those, I had a chance to peruse their other spring bulb collections. I've already completely filled our garden with daffodil bulbs, but other spring bulb plants are few and far between.
A couple of weeks later a package arrived from Bulbs Direct, and I had four new varieties of tulips to plant, including Katinka, Kickstart, Marvel Parrot, and Purple Sky. In shades of purples and pinks, these tulips will brighten up my front garden in spring.
The day the Bulbs Direct package arrived, I pulled out my trusty bulb planter, and got to work in the front garden.
I decided to plant each bulb variety in a clump together to really give a big floral punch of colour in various part of the front garden. The tulips will greet us every time we enter or exit our property, and they'll look great from the street too.
Now there is nothing to do but wait over winter and into spring for my new tulip bulbs to make their way above ground. It'll be something to look forward to over the coming dark and cold winter months.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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Dahlia Profile - Totally Tangerine
Hello friends,
Today's dahlia profile is for the anemone dahlia Totally Tangerine which I purchased this year from Bulbs Direct.
From the Bulbs Direct website: "Add a splash of tangy citrus hues to your color palette with this lively and spirited flower, Dahlia 'Totally Tangerine'. These vibrant
blooms create a buzz in any garden, flaunting coral pink petals and a bright neon orange ruffled center. This playful dahlia is always ready for a good time - let it loose in your garden and enjoy the lively show!" The plant will reach 50 - 60cm high.
Flower bud opening:
Dahlia Totally Tangarine Fully Flowering:
Totally Tangerine is just amazing. Not only am I loving the bright citrus hues of the flower petals, but I'm really now obsessed with anemone dahlias in general. This dahlia is a total keeper for me, and I can't wait for my other new anemone dahlias to start flowering in the garden.
There are five more dahlias about to flower, including some of the Floret "Bee's Choice" dahlias I grew from seed, so it's super exciting to go for a walk around the garden each morning to check them out.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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Dahlia Profile - Missis Miley
Hello friends,
It's finally dahlia season now that summer is here, and my first dahlia has flowered!
My plan over the coming months is to profile each dahlia in my garden as it flowers. It will be a reminder for me in the depths of next winter, which dahlias I have in the garden, where they are, and what they look like, and how they performed.
I bought Missis Miley this year from Bulbs Direct, and she's been on my wish list for a couple of years. According to their notes "Missis Miley, is a decorative dahlia...with hints of deep rust red and berry tones in the center petals...and has long stems make for easy cutting and she's incredibly prolific, producing tons of beautiful blooms." Missis Miley will reach 120 - 140 cm high and has flowers 4 inches wide. Missis Miley is planted in the middle of my back garden in full sun.
Missis Miley in full flower:
Flower Bud Opening:
Missis Miley in full flower:
I really love the shades of rust and raspberry, and Missis Miley really stands out in the garden with her dark green leaves and red flowers. The flowers do indeed have long stems which makes it a good dahlia for floral arranging.
I'm very happy to have Missis Miley in my garden, and it was worth the wait to get her. I do recommend this dahlia if you can get her.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
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or Mastodon or Bluesky.
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