I have just purchased some bulbs and I am looking for some advice as to how to plant them. size of container, width apart e.t.c

The problem is sometimes I try to add to many bulbs to a container and in the end nothing much comes about.

Please can you offer some advice as to how I can mix and match the bulbs below to ensure a positive outcome.

I am a keen learner when it comes to gardening, and I know when to admit defeat therefore, my flag is raised and any help the more experienced people can give me would be greatly received.



The bulbs I have purchased a



Dutch Iris

Lupins

Asaitic Lilies

Peony

Lupin

Dahlias

Bleeding Hart

Sea holly

Ismene Festalis

"darren30" wrote


I have just purchased some bulbs and I am looking for some advice as to
how to plant them. size of container, width apart e.t.c

The problem is sometimes I try to add to many bulbs to a container and
in the end nothing much comes about.

Please can you offer some advice as to how I can mix and match the bulbs
below to ensure a positive outcome.

I am a keen learner when it comes to gardening, and I know when to admit
defeat therefore, my flag is raised and any help the more experienced
people can give me would be greatly received.

The bulbs I have purchased a
Dutch Iris; Lupins; Asaitic Lilies; Peony; Lupin; Dahlias; Bleeding Heart;
Sea holly; Ismene Festalis

Only the first and last are bulbs, the rest are herbaceous plants and things
like Peony hate being moved and can take years to flower so are certainly
not much good in a pot.


--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On 23/01/2011 09:26, Bob Hobden wrote:


"darren30" wrote


I have just purchased some bulbs and I am looking for some advice as to
how to plant them. size of container, width apart e.t.c

The problem is sometimes I try to add to many bulbs to a container and
in the end nothing much comes about.

Please can you offer some advice as to how I can mix and match the bulbs
below to ensure a positive outcome.

I am a keen learner when it comes to gardening, and I know when to admit
defeat therefore, my flag is raised and any help the more experienced
people can give me would be greatly received.

The bulbs I have purchased a
Dutch Iris; Lupins; Asaitic Lilies; Peony; Lupin; Dahlias; Bleeding
Heart; Sea holly; Ismene Festalis

Only the first and last are bulbs, the rest are herbaceous plants and
things like Peony hate being moved and can take years to flower so are
certainly not much good in a pot.

So Asiatic lilies and Dahlias are herbaceous plants, Bob? Looks like
the OP isn't the only one new to gardening. ;-)

Now I know you've been posting for here for a long time, but that wasn't
a very friendly or helpful reply to a newcomer. For most people new to
gardening, and however inaccurate it is, bulbs, corms, tubers, etc are
one and the same thing.

--

Jeff

On 22/01/2011 17:10, darren30 wrote:
I have just purchased some bulbs and I am looking for some advice as to
how to plant them. size of container, width apart e.t.c

The problem is sometimes I try to add to many bulbs to a container and
in the end nothing much comes about.

Please can you offer some advice as to how I can mix and match the bulbs
below to ensure a positive outcome.

I am a keen learner when it comes to gardening, and I know when to admit
defeat therefore, my flag is raised and any help the more experienced
people can give me would be greatly received.



The bulbs I have purchased a



Dutch Iris

Lupins

Asaitic Lilies

Peony

Lupin

Dahlias

Bleeding Hart

Sea holly

Ismene Festalis


These are not all bulbs, but let's not worry about that. First thing
you need to be aware of is that Ismene festalis is not hardy, and if it
is in a pot kept outside (particularly in the sort of winter we've just
had) it will die.

With the Iris, lilies, and dahlias it is best to have a free-draining
compost (this is true of most plants with underground storage organs).
Any quality compost from a garden centre should fit the bill (see
comment about lilies below). Make sure that the flower pot drainage
holes aren't blocked.

The other plants will also grow well in the same compost, but sea holly
would do well in the compost if some extra sand is added to improve
drainage. It also has deep roots, so a tall pot would be better.

The general rule with true bulbs is to plant them as deep as the bulb is
long. So if a bulb is 5cm long, plants it with its tip 5cm below the
surface. I would plant them one bulb width apart. This should ensure
good flowering for a couple of years, but eventually they will get too
crowded and you will have to repot. If you have enough bulbs of the
iris, plant a layer at double depth. These will take longer to flower,
so after the top layer has finished flowering, the deeper layer will start.

Lilies usually don't like being too wet, so some people plant them on a
small bed of sand in a pot. Generally 3 bulbs in a 20 cm pot is enough.
Some lilies form roots at the bottom of their stems, so are planted
deeper (I do not know if your bulbs need deep planting). Some lily
stems are quite long, and need staking. Put the stakes in when you put
the bulbs in, or you are likely to push the stakes through the bulbs,
which won't do them any good! On other point - if you live in the South
of England you are on a hiding to nothing growing lilies. There is a
pest called Lily Beetle which can sniff lilies out miles away. Some
lilies are more resistant than others to this pest. I hope that yours are!

Peonies could be flowered in large pots (45+ cm), but are better in open
ground. Whatever you decide, they take some time to flower, and if you
plant them too deeply to begin with, they will almost certainly never
flower.

I am sure others will have some advice for you. There is also a lot of
information on the internet, and you could do a lot worse than joining
your local horticultural society to get useful advice.

--

Jeff

On Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:10:08 +0000, darren30
wrote:


I have just purchased some bulbs and I am looking for some advice as to
how to plant them. size of container, width apart e.t.c

The problem is sometimes I try to add to many bulbs to a container and
in the end nothing much comes about.

Please can you offer some advice as to how I can mix and match the bulbs
below to ensure a positive outcome.

I am a keen learner when it comes to gardening, and I know when to admit
defeat therefore, my flag is raised and any help the more experienced
people can give me would be greatly received.



The bulbs I have purchased a



Dutch Iris

Lupins

Asaitic Lilies

Peony

Lupin

Dahlias

Bleeding Hart

Sea holly

Ismene Festalis

Ooooh Eck! Darren. You've asked your question via Garden Banter (GB).
FWIW, the GB system which is, I suppose a forum, is an advertising
thing. When you post a question to GB, it simly sends it on to
something called USENET and hence to the UK.REC.GARDENING NEWSGROUP.
If you don't understand the bits in capitals, type them into your
search engine or go back to Garden Banter and check there. Meanwhile,
GB will happily accept your questions, send them on to us and earn
income from advertising. Maybe you'll realise now why we in the
newsgroup don't like Garden Banter.

Anyhow. You've supposedly bought some what you call bulbs. Not all
what you call bulbs are bulbs. Sea Holly isn't for example. Dahlias
aren't exactly "bulbs". But there are dahlias and dahlias. I grow
Dahlias from tubers (not bulbs) in the ground each year. I also grow
bedding dahlias which I shove into baskets and tubs. At the end of the
year the tubers which the bedding dahlias have created are stored and
planted out somewhere else next year and I get new bedding dahlias. So
you see there's more to this than you think.

Lupins are definitely not bulbs. Neither are peonies, or bleeding
heart. These are probably "bare roots" at this time of year. You need
to get them into the ground (or into pots to grow on in a cold frame)
quickly. I've given up on lupins as whatever I try the local slug
population gets there first. But, getting back to basics, you don't
grow lupins, peonies or bleeding heart in tubs! They're ground plants.

So get back to us with some more info - where are you (what you can
grow depends on where you are in the UK), what's your soil like -
heavy clay, sandy, acidic , alkaline? and are you really only looking
to fill tubs (there are tub plants and ground plants you know!),
what's your garden like (if you've only got a balcony or courtyard
type place we'll be wasting our time suggesting plants for a larger
area).

Then maybe you'll get some worthwhile answers.

"Jeff Layman" wrote ...
, Bob Hobden wrote:
"darren30" wrote
I have just purchased some bulbs and I am looking for some advice as to
how to plant them. size of container, width apart e.t.c

The problem is sometimes I try to add to many bulbs to a container and
in the end nothing much comes about.

Please can you offer some advice as to how I can mix and match the bulbs
below to ensure a positive outcome.

I am a keen learner when it comes to gardening, and I know when to admit
defeat therefore, my flag is raised and any help the more experienced
people can give me would be greatly received.

The bulbs I have purchased a
Dutch Iris; Lupins; Asaitic Lilies; Peony; Lupin; Dahlias; Bleeding
Heart; Sea holly; Ismene Festalis

Only the first and last are bulbs, the rest are herbaceous plants and
things like Peony hate being moved and can take years to flower so are
certainly not much good in a pot.

So Asiatic lilies and Dahlias are herbaceous plants, Bob? Looks like
the OP isn't the only one new to gardening. ;-)

Now I know you've been posting for here for a long time, but that wasn't
a very friendly or helpful reply to a newcomer. For most people new to
gardening, and however inaccurate it is, bulbs, corms, tubers, etc are
one and the same thing.

Too true, I read the question and then read the list of plants and thought
it might be a windup.
At least it spurred you into replying properly. :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

I stand corrected, I am learning all the time. I am a typical aries I am afraid to say, always jump in to the deep end without learning how to swim. Thanks for spending time replying.

Hi Jeff, thanks for all your advice I will print your instructions off and follow them to the letter. I am young and enthusisatic, I adore gardening but its extremely hard for me to remember all the varieties and what they prefer. I live in Southampton and I cant really say what soil we have it is dry, crumbly ( not clay) I usually sift out the small stones and mix in some compost to the soil before planting. I will look in to joining a horticultural society in my area, the thing is as I am young I prefer to seek advice from the internet than to go round peoples houses for coffee to discuss gardening. Perhaps when I am older it may be different.

Hi, I do not understand what you mean? I do not want to earn income I simply thought this was a forum where I could find help from experienced gardeners? Who is GB ? and how can I ask them the questions? any help you can give me as a newcomer would be splendid.

I am in Southampton, I have attached a photo of my garden, the soil is dry and crumbly not clay or sticky, I think it is acidic, but don't quote me on that. I have a nice big decking area where I like to plant pots, I have just started 2010 growing from seed and then transplanting to pots. However, I have recently bought these bulbs,tubers,perrenials from the 99p shop so I thought why not get some advice and do it properly.

The layout of my garden is this, you step off the decking on to the grass, to the left it is shady and straight ahead it is sunny. There is a pond to the right, normally I plant a mixture of bulbs and bedding in the front and the perennials to the left. On the decking I have lots of pots where I bung in bulbs and just wait and see what comes up. I am a sucker for new plants. Whenever I go to the garden centre I always come back with a new one. However, as times are a little harder, I will be reigning in my expenditure and will try to make do with what I have got.

In the list I have provided, is there any varietes that you would advise puting together in a pot or in the ground? also what is meant by adding sand for drainage? I always water my plants throughly and gauge the watering on how healthy the plant is for example nice green leaves and strong stems. I have never added sand in to my pots? however, if you can explain the process of why this is done I would have a better understanding.

Many thanks

I have the same problem! I get round it three ways. Firstly, I look for general rules - eg plant bulbs twice the depth of the size of the bulb - so a 1cm bulb get planted at 2cm and a 4cm bulb at 8cm - it won't always work but it's a start.

Secondly, I don't try to remember individual varieties or indeed species. I just remember that this is a honeysuckle rather than Lonicera tatarica var Hack's Red.

Thirdly, as I start getting interested in a particular group of plants, I do start to try to remember a bit more - so I learn bit by bit when I'm really interested rather than trying to learn lots of stuff at once. So I know that I have Hack's Red because I started to realise that I have rather a lot of different honeysuckles and started to identify them and see what I had.

GB is the obvious abbreviation for the website/forum you have registered on. But it doesn't actually provide anything except a window on to newsgroups. Newsgroups are one of the oldest bits of the internet, and people usually read them using a newsreader program, which is a lot easier - for example, you can easily read just the new posts since you last posted, and where a thread has broken up into lots of separate discussion, the newsreader will separate them for you.

Some people on the newsgroup uk.rec.gardening, which is where your posts are being directed, get annoyed because gb is piggybacking on to the newsgroup, and is earning money from advertisers, but of course none of that money goes to the people who are actually answering posts and providing good advice. And without their posts, gb wouldn't attract any users and therefore wouldn't attract paid advertising.

The iris and lilies would be OK in pots, and the Ismene (which needs to be indoors in the winter), the rest would prefer the ground. That said, I have a sea holly in a pot and it's doing fine.

Adding sand for drainage - you need sharp sand rather than builders sand, and you mix it in with the compost. The sea holly would probably appreciate it - it's natural habitat is shingly or sandy areas where water drains away quickly rather than hanging around the roots, especially in winter when cold wet roots can rot easily. Actually, Jeff's probably said it all!

I'm most impressed by your pic - everything is looking really good! I think the best advice I can give is to watch the results and think about what you are doing - it's a far better way to learn than to simply rely on advice and not do the thinking and watching. And although you may not have theoretical knowledge you clearly have practical skill.

If you want to save money (though it's hard to beat 99p per plant - even from seed if you have to buy a whole packet when you just want one plant) start experimenting with propagation - from seed, cuttings and by dividing plants. And see if you can squeeze in a compost bin somewhere, for garden waste and veg waste from the kitchen, and use this to supplement the stuff you buy in.

"darren30" wrote in message
...

Jake;910786 Wrote:
On Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:10:08 +0000, darren30
Ooooh Eck! Darren. You've asked your question via Garden Banter (GB).
FWIW, the GB system which is, I suppose a forum, is an advertising
thing. When you post a question to GB, it simly sends it on to
something called USENET and hence to the UK.REC.GARDENING NEWSGROUP.
If you don't understand the bits in capitals, type them into your
search engine or go back to Garden Banter and check there. Meanwhile,
GB will happily accept your questions, send them on to us and earn
income from advertising. Maybe you'll realise now why we in the
newsgroup don't like Garden Banter.


Hi, I do not understand what you mean? I do not want to earn income I
simply thought this was a forum where I could find help from experienced
gardeners? Who is GB ? and how can I ask them the questions? any help
you can give me as a newcomer would be splendid.


Hi Darren

I am afraid that you have 'strayed' into a forum/newsgroup/clique known as
uk,rec.gardening. They absolutely HATE anyone from Garden Banter. The
subscribers to this newsgroup/forum/clique do their own advertising and use
this as their own public 'emailing facility' with chat which has nothing to
do with gardening in many cases. Chit chat to stamp their mark here.

If you put uk.rec.gardening into your search engine, something like Google,
and then come here WITHOUT stepping into Garden Banter (wash my mouth out)
land, apologise profusely, don't make any spelling or grammar mistakes,
don't mention cruising, and you MIGHT be made welcome. (Watch the replies to
this from those who have killfiled me, but don't want to miss anything, and
you will see what I mean)

Mike

--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................

"Janet" wrote ...

Bob Hobden wrote.

I just laugh at sad
fools like Mike they are never worth any other reaction.

You haven't been here long enough to have seen what he is capable of.

Well I have been around here for over 10 years I think, so have seen the
personal problems he has at boring length, he just goes on and on and never
moves on (another sign of problems). Whilst what he says/does is extremely
nasty to those on the receiving end, like Sacha, and at first I used to get
angry for her and others like Andy, time and realisation has taught me Mike
is to be pitied.
Care in the community springs to mind.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On 29/01/2011 17:36, Jake wrote:
(snip)

As a
precaution, if you don't mind chemicals, find some Provado Ultimate
Bug Killer - look for the trigger spray version, not the aerosol
simply because of cost. Then when your lilies start to develop
foliage, give them a spray LATE IN THE EVENING.

Due to the idiotic brand naming of many insecticidal products, Provado
Ultimate Bug Killer concentrate and aerosol do not contain the same things..

The concentrate contains only thiacloprid, whereas the aerosol contains
imidacloprid and methiocarb. I found the original Provado
(imidocloprid) to be pretty ineffective against lily beetle, so turned
to the aerosol product. This worked - and continues to work - but I
have stopped growing lilies because it is a waste of time trying to
fight lily beetle in the south-east. Even if thiacloprid was effective
on its own, I would not waste money using it against lily beetle.

--

Jeff

On Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:48:05 +0000, Jeff Layman
wrote:

On 29/01/2011 17:36, Jake wrote:
(snip)

As a
precaution, if you don't mind chemicals, find some Provado Ultimate
Bug Killer - look for the trigger spray version, not the aerosol
simply because of cost. Then when your lilies start to develop
foliage, give them a spray LATE IN THE EVENING.

Due to the idiotic brand naming of many insecticidal products, Provado
Ultimate Bug Killer concentrate and aerosol do not contain the same things..

The concentrate contains only thiacloprid, whereas the aerosol contains
imidacloprid and methiocarb. I found the original Provado
(imidocloprid) to be pretty ineffective against lily beetle, so turned
to the aerosol product. This worked - and continues to work - but I
have stopped growing lilies because it is a waste of time trying to
fight lily beetle in the south-east. Even if thiacloprid was effective
on its own, I would not waste money using it against lily beetle.

Thanks Jeff. Here (touch wood and thus far and all that) the trigger
version has done the trick. I admit that I hadn't read the "contents"
so didn't appreciate the difference between aerosol and trigger.

Must research on whether anyone has done any research on resistance of
the little red blighters to insecticides. It may be that down south
they've developed a resitance that's in the future here. If it turns
out in the future that I need the aerosol product to control then a
couple of hundered lily bulbs will be destined for the compost heap.

Cheers
Jake