i keep reminding myself what a pain in the patootie it was to plant what i bought last year (my first experience planting bulbs) in order to keep my upcoming orders realistic.

the long answer: i aspire to be a minimal-maintenance gardener — i want plants that can survive and thrive without “special treatment” (like pre-cooling or digging and storing).

so, since my gardening experience is still very limited, i rely heavily on a couple of books for making my bulb decisions: scott ogden’s “garden bulbs for the south” and william welch’s “the southern heirloom garden.” ogden notes which varieties can be grown here in the warmer parts of the south. and if welch says some particular bulb variety persists in abandoned southern (especially texas) gardens, i figure chances are good it doesn’t require cooling.

the only tulips i’ve planted far are the species i planted last year (plus some johann strauss kaufmannianas that i put in *really* late). i’m very interested to see what comes back. i was thrilled with the show by the crocus tommasinianus (recommended by ogden), but again, don’t yet know how they’ll do longer term.

as for daffodils, i planted two varieties last year, both supposedly suited for the warm south. i’ll probably try two or three new (to me) varieties this year.

it’s soooo tempting to look at all the beautiful pictures, but i always check my books because so many of the cultivated bulbs are bred for much different climates and just melt into mush down here. i’m still waffling about what to order, but i’ll post my list when i buy.