Zone 9 First Time Poster, Long Time Listener

Jul 22, 2011 09:57

Good morning. I used to enjoy snowdrops in the far corner of the yard until the neighbor installed a superduper new sprinkler system which soaks the fence and a bit into my yard's corner. Now the snowdrops give gorgeous green foliage all year round, but no flowers. The advice has always been to 'wait until foliage yellows, and then dig up' for ( Read more... )

transplanting, bulbs

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low_delta July 23 2011, 01:53:09 UTC
I would guess that you should wait until fall to transplant them, since maybe the foliage will have died off by then, and I that's the general bulb-planting time anyway.

I'm not sure if there's any detrimental effect on next year's flowering, if they're in this condition. If there is, transplant the sooner the better.

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pronker July 23 2011, 02:35:55 UTC
Thanks for the swift reply. I am leaning towards doing something now, because the good gardeners that the neighbors are have a gorgeous water-hungry backyard and do not stint on having things like ferns, which in our 100F+ summer climate need nearly 2x daily waterings. The leaves of the snowdrops literally to not have a chance to die off. Would gathering them out of the ground, letting them dry out of the sun and replanting them in the fall sound reasonable? I would so love to see flowers from them once more.

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low_delta July 23 2011, 04:40:56 UTC
That would probably be fine. That's how they sell the bulbs, right? I guess it shouldn't matter if they leaves dry up at the right time while they're in the ground, or if the dry up a few months later when you dig them up.

I'm only making assumptions here, as I have no experience with snowdrops, and only limited knowledge of other bulbs.

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pronker July 23 2011, 05:28:55 UTC
Okay, thank you!

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low_delta July 23 2011, 05:32:26 UTC
By "limited knowledge" I mean I buy them and plant them, but that's about it - I'm not an expert. :-)

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pronker July 23 2011, 05:40:00 UTC
In my former home I had iris beds and the nice thing about them, you plant them and that's it! Maybe a bit of fertilizing and then they come up, are gorgeous for maybe 2 months, die off and it's nothing till the next year. That's my kind of planting.

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low_delta July 23 2011, 05:42:44 UTC
I've got tons of irises. They're actually more work than bulbs, since you have to divide them every three years. And watch for iris borers. Okay, that's still not much work, but I just put my bulbs in the ground and leave them. Some people lift some of theirs though, I guess.

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pronker July 23 2011, 05:46:17 UTC
True, and dust them for mites and such. I did divide mine and was happy with the results; now, 12 years later, I have one simple glad and that's it for bulbs because all the rest are roses and geraniums and a few annuals. My neighbors put me to shame and are always in their yard! It's truly a haven.

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low_delta July 23 2011, 05:53:51 UTC
My grandmother had rows of glads. I kinda miss them. And I can't grow roses. They suffer from black thumb. ;-)

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pronker July 23 2011, 06:07:38 UTC
They're lovely and statuesque -- and roses? A trial sometimes; I commiserate with your black thumb!

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virginiadear July 23 2011, 05:50:12 UTC
A Google search for "planting snowdrops bulbs" turned up the information that you can transplant snowdrops "in the green," meaning before the foliage has yellowed and died back.
You'll have to put these URLs back together by closing the gaps after the double forward slashes and after the one following the word 'film ' in the first, and 'style' in the second.
http:// www.videojug.com/film/ how-to-plant-snowdrops-in-the-green
http:// property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/ property/gardens/article5732943.ece

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I am a 'galanthophile' for liking snowdrops, how interesting. pronker July 23 2011, 06:05:53 UTC
Thank you very much for the links -- the advice seems to relate to my idea of lifting them now, replanting in a 'woodland' sort of area and letting the foliage die off, so they can get a proper start early next spring or late winter in their flowering. I shall do this.

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Re: I am a 'galanthophile' for liking snowdrops, how interesting. virginiadear July 23 2011, 06:18:31 UTC
One source advises against planting snowdrop bulbs near mature trees (ditto planting "in the green" near mature trees): the bulbs have to compete with the trees for nutrients, apparently.

I thought snowdrops required a definite cold period (about 20°F) to stimulate bloom. Yours bloom for you in Zone 9??? Wow.
Snowdrops require good drainage. It's recommended that if you have heavy, clayey soil you plant them in raised beds with plenty of organic matter/compost to help improve the drainage for them, because if they sit around *wet,* they'll rot.
That suggests that moving them sooner rather than later and before the twice daily watering by your fern-loving neighbors causes them to deteriorate and die is a good idea.

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Re: I am a 'galanthophile' for liking snowdrops, how interesting. pronker July 23 2011, 06:28:08 UTC
The climate here has 20 degree weather long enough, I guess? It gets down to that maybe 15 days out of the year.

Yeah, I love their ferns and they're generous about sharing their abundance, such as baby's tears; they're nice people and if they turned down their sprinklers maybe their yard wouldn't look as nice -- meh, it's not worth discussing it with them. The neighbors on the other sides have drip water systems and naturally give no overspray. Good advice on the snowdrops and I'll work in a bit of organic stuff to let them have dry feet.

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Re: I am a 'galanthophile' for liking snowdrops, how interesting. virginiadear July 23 2011, 15:07:34 UTC
Baby's tears, eh? A lot of people consider it a weed, and far too invasive a one at that. Its other common names are Mind-Your-Own-Business, and Irish Moss (although there is another plant called Irish moss.) Some folks like it, though, as a houseplant.

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