We’re in the time of the season when plans are being drawn up and materials brought together for this year’s garden. We’re cleaning, pruning, and dreaming a lot about what we want to see happening. Now is the perfect time to step back for a second and consider what may have worked and what didn’t last year. Reviewing our successes and failures is the best way of gaining more of the former and fewer of the latter this time out.

First, What Worked? My successes tend to stay in my mind more than my failures. Can’t imagine why… maybe with fewer riders there’s more room on the bus. But I start by going over what made me happy about the garden. It may have only been a certain section or two that really came together, but give some thought to how those pleasing plants were arranged, the colors, contrasts and textures.

Were there hundreds of hummingbirds flocking to those Agastaches? Did the spring blooming beard tongue and salvias end up in exactly the right place to carry their color into the catmint and lavender, then fade gracefully into fall to the echinaceas and blazing stars and feather reed grass? Knowing the kinds of plants you like, that work well together in your climate and soil, might even point you to a new garden style you hadn’t considered before.

Take a black and white photo of the garden this year, too, during the peak of the season. Because color tends to overwhelm the other design elements like texture, form and size, shooting a black and white shot will give your eye a chance to see these elements a little more clearly. That way if you have a huge disparity between plant sizes or the textures are all similar you can make plans to throw in some contrasts.

Next, what went south? Were there endless insects devouring your garden? They thrive on distressed plants, so maybe its time to replenish your soil or rethink your watering practices. Were they loaded with powdery mildew, black spot, beetles or rot? Perhaps they’re too close together to dry out in a humid climate. Or you may need to get rid of the mildew magnets like bee balm, lilacs and zinnias- or at least switch them out for the more disease-resistant varieties.

Are your plants blooming when you’re there to enjoy them. I don’t just mean planting for all season color, but for a great look when you’re actually there to enjoy them. If you’re a seasonal resident that gets away only in the high summer there’s no point in concentrating on spring bulbs. If you’re only home in the evenings, why not make evening-blooming and fragrant plants the stars, like moonflower, night blooming jasmine, evening primrose or flowering tobacco?

If you're around to enjoy your garden all year, know the blooming sequences for your plants. Different sections of the garden willpeak at different times thru the year, and you could give unusual and colorful foliage plants the spotlight in the off times.

Mulch! I know its not a lot of fun, but these weed seeds are out there just itching for an open spot of bare ground to take hold. Getting a good 3 to 4 inches of mulch down now will save you huge amounts of time and frustration come July when you’d weeding like crazy.

Keep the garden under control. Nothing is harder than thinning out plants, especially if they’re healthy and beautiful. But if your Asiatic lilies seem to be turning into echinaceas, its probably time to get tough and thin out. Do it now, while you still have the spring clean-up jones going on.

Pot up the plants you remove and give them to gardening friends if you just can’t bear to toss them. And, while you’re thinning, take a good honest look at your feelings about the garden. Were there times you just couldn’t bear to think about working in it? Were there plants that for whatever reason were a pain in the rump? You know what? Pull them. Get them out of your sight and off your back.

With literally thousands of species and varieties out there, there is absolutely no reason why your garden shouldn’t be filled with only the plants that make you completely happy.

When you think of bulbs, you probably think of spring.
The glory-of-the-snow and galanthus are up already here at the little studio on the hill. Hyacinths and my irises will be following real soon.

But summer bulbs can be just as exciting. They’re some of the biggest and most fragrant bloomers. And they come in such varieties of size and shape and color, and are so easy to care for, that you’ve just got to find a home for some in your garden!

Corms are solid vertical stems with a bud at the top that produces the flowers and leaves. The corm dies off every year and is replaced, often by two or more. Crocus, gladiolus, and freesias are corm structures.

Dahlias have tuberous roots like the sweet potato. Eyes or buds are found either at the neck or at intervals on the surface.

Tubers, like caladiums, are similar except that they are enlarged stems instead of root tissue.

Iris and cannas have rhizomes, swollen horizontal stems at or just below the soil surface.

Tuber-corms are often weird-looking bulbs like anemone, ranunculus, and tuberous begonias with one or more buds on the upper surface and roots below. It isn't always easy to know which side is up unless you can spot the buds.

Image courtesy UC Davis

When you’re picking out bulbs, stay away from the lightweight ones, or those that are soft and spongy. You want a solid, relatively heavy specimen that’s good and healthy.

It’s best to plant your bulbs as soon as the weather and the workability of the soil will let you. If you have to store them, be sure they stay cool and dry.

Check the package for the proper planting depth. Most all bulbs prefer well-drained soil. If you have a heavy, slow-draining clay soil, or conversely dry, sandy soil, amend it with compost or manure. Work it into the top 12 inches of the soil of your bulb bed…18 inches is even better.

Summer bulbs do need some phosphorous to encourage their roots. It needs to be mixed in the soil under where the bulbs will be located so, so add it to the soil below the 8 inch level. Superphosphate or bonemeal are good sources of phosphorous.

Water thoroughly after planting to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets around the bulbs. Start regular watering when buds start to form on the plant. During the bud, bloom and early foliage stage, your plants need an inch of water per week.

Add enough irrigation water to make this one-inch if natural rainfall isn’t enough. And water with a soaker hose to keep water off the bloom. Don’t overwater, though. Shallow-planted bulbs like alliums will rot if they get too much water in the heat of summer.

Give them a low nitrogen 10-20-10 fertilizer once or twice during the growing season, especially if you want to lift and store them for next year. And deadhead the spent blooms to encourage good overall health.

Summer bulbs don’t overwinter. So when the first frost does in the top growth, dig up the bulbs, remove the foliage and lay them out in a cool, dry location for a week or two. Once the outsides are dry, dust the bulbs with a fungicide (sulfur) and store them in peat moss or vermiculite in a cardboard box like a shoebox.

Don’t let them each other, and check monthly to make sure dahlias, begonias and other fleshy varieties aren’t getting dry. Spray them lightly with water if they’re starting to shrivel, then put them back into storage.

If you were growing your bulbs in containers, just let the soil dry out and move the containers indoors to a cool, dark place until early spring. Then start watering them again.

Start dahlias- place tubers into potting soil with bottom heat; start begonia cuttings in potting soil with bottom heat

Plant autumn-flowering bulbs immediately; plant lilies for next summer; lift shallow planted, frost tender bulbs like begonias before first frost;

Some of my favorite summer bulbs include the super versatile Gladiolus, with its fantastic range of sizes, bold and subtle coloring. They’re cheap, quick growing and look very impressive in the full sun garden.

Dahlias have the widest range of flower colors sizes and shapes. They come in every color but blue! They need full sun and the taller border dahlias sometimes need support.

The shorter bedding dahlias are mounding, compact and their tubers can be divided. But for next year’s plants, use the seeds they produce. Bedding dahlia tubers just don’t store very well. The border dahlias are grown from tubers you dig up and store year after year.

There’s nothing to compare with Tuberous Begonias and their incredible, rose-like flowers, big intricate leaves and fleshy, almost succulent look. But they are rather high maintenance. They need lots of even, consistent moisture, well-drained soil, and regular feedings. I put mine in containers on the porch and patio where they’re in part shade and close by to not only to be easy to tend to but really enjoy close up.

Cannas are long-blooming classics that provide masses of foliage as well as bright, colorful blooms throughout late summer and fall. One of my favorites is the rather recently introduced Canna Tropicana, with its brilliant striped orange and green leaves and vivid orange flower. I set these up so the afternoon sun shines through them like a stained glass window. They prefer full sun. Tubers can be divided when they are dug.

If you’ve got a shady area in your garden, and a bit of space to fill, try elephant ears. They create a tropical look with those huge, lush green leaves over a foot across and 5 feet tall. For a head start on getting them up to size, start them indoors and plant outside when it is warm.