Bulbs

In most of the country, now is the time to divide your Bearded Iris.  You should do this every two or three years in midsummer, after blooming but before the weather starts to turn (July or August, usually).  Regular division of the rhizomes does wonders for preventing root rot and borer damage.  Plus, it encourages the plant to grow more vigorously and to flower more.  It also gives you a great opportunity to thoroughly inspect the plant for damaged or diseased parts that can be removed.  Bearded Iris is one of the easier plants to divide (especially when it comes to lifting the plant), but as with any division, be sure to allot enough time to finish the job, so you don’t have to leave your plants out and vulnerable longer than is necessary.

If you’re looking for an interesting Iris to try out this coming Spring, give ‘Dangerous Mood’ a try.  Not only is it a stunning flower that’s sure to leave an impression, it is one of my favorite plant names of all.

Does your garden take itself too seriously?  The answer to a garden that needs a little playfulness could very well be to grow some onions. Not, of course, the sort of onions that you eat (though that’s not a terrible idea, either).  What I’m talking about is ornamental onion plants, Allium. 

"Allium" refers to the entire onion genus, which is one of the largest plant genera.  It includes onions, chives, garlic, shallots, and leeks.  When gardeners talk about growing Allium bulbs or flowers, though, it is usually the ornamental sort that they are referring to.  These drought-resistant bulbs bloom, usually in early summer, with fun, colorful round inflorescences that look almost like balloons or something out of a children’s book (these inflorescences are actually "umbels," meaning that the flower stalks are all of the same length and stem from a single point).  These whimsical blooms are sure to get curious
comments from the neighbors.  They also last wonderfully in both fresh and dried arrangements, so they’re great for adding an unusual touch indoors, too.  The classic ball-shaped Allium blooms range from the smaller ‘Purple Sensation,’ which carries flowerheads of around three inches, to the huge, 9-inch balls of the Giant Allium.  For something even more eye-catching, try the "Tumbleweed Onion," Allium schubertii.  Its flowerheads grow to as big as 18 inches with pink flowers at all lengths along the flower stalks, creating an effect not unlike a floral firework.

Several of my coworkers and I were given planted Amaryllis bulbs last week.  The stalks on each were just beginning to make their way into the world.  The obvious move for us was to agree to race, to see whose Amaryllis grew the fastest.  However, the problem with having several Amaryllis plants in the same office led inevitably to an argument: what is the proper plural form of the word "Amaryllis?"
This seems like a question that a group of employees of Wayside Gardens would know, especially garden writers.  However, with questions about plant names, there often isn’t a single simple answer.  The plant names are often either Anglicized Latin or Greek, or Latinized English.  Also, they are usually created by botanists, who are rarely too concerned with the grammar questions they may be creating.  In the case of the plural for Amaryllis, there are four possibilities that we are considering: Amaryllii, Amaryllides, Amaryllises, and Amaryllis.

Amaryllii seems like it could be right, as many words that end with a similar sound are pluralized that way (Fungus, fungi, etc.).  However, words that are pluralized that way generally end in a "us" rather than "is," so I think that it’s safe to count this one out.  Amaryllides makes use of another form of Greek pluralization, and some botanists do use this.  I haven’t actually met any of these botanists, though, and I really don’t think that this is a very common form of the word (interesting fact, though: the word Amaryllis is Greek, and comes from a common girl’s name in Ancient Greece).  Which brings us to Amaryllises or Amaryllis.  The basic question here is: should the word be changed at all in its plural form?  Amaryllis is a genus name, and the general rule in botany is that the genus name is never pluralized, even when it is being used in the collective.  However, this may be an exception to this rule, because the plants that we’re usually referring to when we say "Amaryllis" are not
actually in the genus Amaryllis, which consists of a single species, Amaryllis belladonna, a South African plant more commonly called "Naked Ladies" or "Belladonna Lilies."  The plants more commonly called Amaryllis in the United States is actually of the genus Hippeastrum (which should definitely not be pluralized).  Thus, I think that it is safe to pluralize the word (unless you’re referring to Naked Ladies), and that we should use the English plural form, Amaryllises (or just always call them "Amaryllis bulbs" or "Amaryllis flowers").  Plus, my spell-checker likes that form better.
As to the Great Amaryllis Race of 2008?  I’m winning.

When you’re blogging about gardening, there is often a tendency to
write about what you’re doing now.  This means that we’re talking about new planting in the Spring, conserving water and weeding in the Summer, planting tulip bulbs in the Autumn, and cleaning up the yard in the Winter.  While that stuff is all great, sometimes we just want to talk about what is actually going on in our gardens, especially what’s currently in bloom.  When it comes down to it, gardening bloggers are gardeners first, and so we love to brag.
Winter is always tough on gardeners, as our supply of color in the garden is so much more limited than in the rest of the year.  Fortunately for me, I live in Greenwood, South Carolina, and we get some great winter color down here.  I’ve been enjoying my Helleborus niger, which has been giving me blooms for almost two weeks now.  I still find myself envious, though, of my boss’s Camellias.  He came into a meeting yesterday and announced that his wonderful hedge of Camellias is now in full bloom.  My envy is not without product, though.  I’ll be planting a small hedge of Camellia ‘Yuletide’ this Spring (Not, of course, because I want to
have earlier blooms than my boss next year.  Well, not just because I want to beat out his Camellias.).  Which, of course, brings me to the "what I’m doing" side of things.  If you want winter color, than now is the time to be planning what you’ll plant this spring and fall for next winter.  It is far easier to plan for the current season, as you’re able to see the lines of your garden, the position of the sun, and all of those other things that go into great seasonal garden design.  Of course, it’s not yet time to plant winter bloomers, such as Camellias or Helleborus, but if you plan now and order soon, you should be able to get them happily in the ground this spring to have maximum growth by next winter.

It's and exciting time of the year for Wayside Gardens. We still have plenty of great fall deals, plenty of bulbs, roses, trees, and shrubs that are going fast. But, we are also very busy preparing for the spring season. The first copies of the spring catalog are being passed around, we are all very excited. This is one of the busiest times of the year for most of us.

It's a struggle sometimes, during a transition like this, to keep focused on the old when so many important new things are flying about. But, the fall items are selling as fast as ever–this is a great time to get the best prices on premium bulbs and plants from Wayside Gardens.

So, if you still have a few spring flower bulbs or shrubs that you want to get in the ground before spring, don't worry, you still have a few weeks to get those fall orders in. It is still warm enough in many places for fall planting. And you can order container plants or houseplants anytime.

If you are planning on sending someone a flower arrangements, why not send a live plant that can be enjoyed indefinitely. Cut flower arrangements are beautiful but very temporary–you can send a potted plant that will last a lifetime. You can send houseplants or plants to be transplanted to a garden. You can have the plant sent directly from the manufacturer, and your gift will come professionally packaged with a personalized gift message from you.

This is perfect for the Holidays because many companies are now shipping amaryllis bulbs that, if ordered now, will bloom inside just in time to make the perfect holiday center-piece. Along with Amaryllis, you can often find many other houseplants, garden plants for transplant, miniature Christmas trees, and garden accessories. College students and friends and family members who work in offices are always looking for something to make their drab surroundings a little more cozy.