Hi Glo,

ThisÂll be shortÂfor meÂbut I thought IÂd reply before I leave again!

Did you get these all in bare root (the ones that arenÂt bulbs)? I think this may be one of those that everybody will have a different take on, but if it were me, IÂd just keep them in a cool/cold dark place until they could be planted directly outside. I donÂt think youÂd gain much by sticking them in pots firstÂand waiting will save you some work. (I know! I know! You want to do something NOW!!!)

This, again, is just me, but if you stick the ferns and bleeding hearts (are they "old fashioned" Dicentra spectabilis?) in a COLD place or the fridge for a week or two to get them acclimated, I think you could plant them out now already (My bleeding heart is coming up already, and the ferns will stay dormant until it gets warm enough). With the warm weather weÂve been having this year, they should be fine, and if youÂre gonna worry about them, mulch them over for a while with non-cottonwood leaves or (weed seed free) straw or wood/bark mulch. Same thing with the lilies, Stellas, and peonies. Assuming your soil is workable already, IÂd be inclined to just harden them off and plant them! Even better if you do it during a week when you know weÂre into one of our warm stretchesÂjust to give them a little bit of "settling in" time before they get hit with more cold. When you plant the peonies, be sure you bury them with the eyes only about an inch below the surface of the soil. TheyÂre kind of like Iris! Too deep and they may not bloom for you. And the Peonies will take a few years to develop into the big, beautiful plants you see in pictures, so donÂt be disappointed the first couple yearsÂand by about year 3, buy a peony ring to put around them to help support the flowers when they get rained on!

The Cannas and, IÂve never grown them but, I think the tuberoses, need to be protected from frost, so that sounds like something that might be good to stick in pots to give you a head start.

I hope youÂre happy with your order from Michigan Bulb when you get it. Back when I was at PaulinoÂs, that always seemed to be the mail order company most people complained aboutÂquality, size, etc. Let us know what you think when you get your stuff. IÂd be interested to hear if maybe theyÂve improved in the last 9 years!

$200, huh? YouÂre BAD, girl!!!

Skybird

Thanks, Skybird, sounds like a plan to me! I was planning to do most of the digging and leveling myself, but last night my wonderful dh said he's going to hire a landscape company to do the really heavy work for me. There is a lot that I want to do and I figured it would be a few years before I could get it done doing a little at a time. The old back ain't what it used to be. Most stuff that I got, I plan to put into a holding bed and then move as I go. I know peonies do not like to be disturbed, so their spot will be the first area to revamp so they can go where I want them right away.

Well, I sure hope what I ordered from Mich. Bulb is ok... they had a $20.00 off $50. plus some things, buy 1 get 1 going on at the same time so I ordered quite a few things in the perennial area. Will let you know.

thanks,
glo

Oh, my gosh! Glo, please send the landscapers over when they are done at your place! I have work for them to do!

All those plants sound wonderful. I really wanted to try a peony but the dogs did something to it; I think they chewed off the eye(s) and that was that.

What a sweet DH to support your gardening! What are they going to do? Tiers? I'd love to see before and after pics if you take any.

Have fun!

Jennifer

Jennifer,
I'll take lots of pics. We'll be doing a retaining type wall at the top, and then most of the rest will be tiered in small spaces for different plants. The small stuff like rock cress, alyssum, and edelweiss will be at the top and then we'll just go down with bigger stuff until I get it filled in. Thank God and Trudi for winter sowing!

As soon as they get done with my yard, I'll send 'em right to ya!
Off to w/s more stuff! It's 63 degrees out right now! I wanna dig!

glo

Thanks, Glo! It sounds lovely. I always forget about edelweiss...maybe this year I'll pick some up.

Have fun!

J.

I was out today, and I noticed that my bleeding hearts are popping up, too.