What Spring bulbs work well for the Coastal South? Paperwhites and Giant Snowflake seem to come back year after year but are there others that can go the distance as perrenials? Are there any Daffodils that work well for the Coastal South. Does anyone have experience with species tulips in this region? Any luck? What about Alliums? I just got a few bulb catalogs in and am eager to try something new but I am bit hesitant. Thanks for any help.
I've had luck with the species tulips. You have to plant them where they will stay pretty dry throughout the cooler months. Just ordered some more from the Riverbanks Zoo Fall bulb sale.
According to Barbara Sullivan in her "Garden Perennials for the Coastal South",(excellent book btw), the following Daffs work here-Abba, BridalGown, Cheerfulness, Sir Winston Churchill,Telamonius Plenus, and Yellow Cheerfulness for double flowering ones. St.Keverne is a good large cup choice.
There are clumps of amaryllis in the yards of older houses all over town here in Mobile. I just now transplanted a good-sized patch that started from four or five bulbs a few years ago. Mine are red with the white throats, not my favorite, but I've seen big drifts of pure white ones here too, and clear red. They bloom in April here, but then you have to put up with the big floppy leaves all summer and into fall. They need good drainage and seem to do better in at least partial shade. My neighbor has a traffic-stopping group about a yard in diameter under her water oak.
