All the Dirt on Gardening

10 for $4.77 at Tulip World dot com Those wonderful cool weather flowering bulbs Ranunculus are in the plant family Ranunculaceaea. The other 600 members of the family include Lesser Celandine and Buttercups.  Ranunculus asiaticus is a tuberous-rooted plant native to South-eastern Europe and Asia Minor, Turkey and North Africa, where they are known as Persian Buttercups. I remember my mother planting them and I planted them years ago. You just don't see them very often any more. If you are interested in having something unique in your spring/summer flower bed, take a chance on a small order and see how they do in your climate. The flowers are like tiny peonies with paper thin petals and they can be cut and kept in a vase. The variety La Belle is grown specifically for the cut flower market. Summer Hill Seeds sells Ranunculus La Bell - 20 seeds $6.  Plant Ranunculus with toes DOWN 4-6 inches apart Look for the largest bulbs you can find to plant this fall/winter...

The last of the sunflowers are in bloom signally that it's time to get fall bulbs and beds cleaned and for them. Look at the sale items from Touch of Nature at this link . If you plan to put in 50 or more bulbs, be sure to get a bulb auger attachment for your battery operated drill. You'll be amazed how easy it can be to put in a couple hundred bulbs with a power tool! 

When shopping for bulbs, bigger is better. Try to show up at the store the same week the bulbs arrive and dig through those boxes and pick out the biggest and blemish free of the lot. I ordered 50-Scilly White Narcisus for forcing indoors on the windowsill in the kitchen. Look at the size bulb I received from Touch of Nature . That's a 6-inch kitchen ruler holding TWO bulbs. Scilly white can also be planted outside to bloom in early early spring, late winter. It is scented but not as heavily as Paperwhite which offends some people. Daffseek says about Scilly White: Usually three to twenty flowers to a stout stem, sweet scented and very short cupped. Perianth segments rounded and often somewhat crinkled. Dwarf - Year Reg: 1865 Fertility: Both Seed and Pollen ADS Historics List WEB ONLY - This link will take you to a fall bulb sale from a great supplier. You won't find the offer on their website so you'll have to use this link. We'll Bounce Back/Economic Stimulus Sampler...

There are great blogs on the Internet. Follow this link to MMS Gardens to read descriptions of many many medicinal plants and their usefulness. Yarrow, Johnny Jump Ups, Columbine, Pot Marigold, Foxglove, Lily of the Valley, Basil, Evening Primrose, Rosemary, Salad Burnet, Hens and Chicks - the Daily Weeder Blog list is not a medicine cabinet replacement but a great read if you have a bit of time to read about herbs and flowers. Touch of Nature - one of my favorite low cost bulb suppliers - is having their end of season sale. For example, 50 tiny tarda tulips for $6, 50 Tete a Tete Narcissus for $12, etc. Follow the link. And, one more great link to the United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service Wildflower information. Two links go to Oklahoma's wildflowers: Southern Region and Southwestern Region . Happy gardening.

Before I leave for the International Master Gardener's Conference in Little Rock, I want to give you a heads up about Touch of Nature. There are hundreds of mail order sources for flower bulbs. Some companies consistently disappoint and some always deliver bulbs that grow and bloom. Everything I have bought so far from Touch of Nature has survived, grown and bloomed. They have sales that are worth watching for. (Right now daylilies are on sale.) The Dutch iris in these photos are ones I bought at the end of the season last fall - 25 in a bag for $7.50 plus shipping. As you can see they are all blooming or in bud. The dark one is Purple Moon; the light blue one is called Hildegarde. The owners, Bert and Ingrid Leek, encourage customers to send photos so there are many to browse. Information about how to enter their photo contest is online, too. If you want to be notified of sales send an email to specials@touchofnature.com and put your email address on their list. While I was pla...