Rolling Out the Blue Carpet

Rolling Out the Blue Carpet
Each spring I pass by a particular house with a large tree in the front yard. The area under the tree is dark and dry – difficult growing conditions, one would say. But someone, sometime, put in a planting which is a delight in spring and early summer – a carpet of grape hyacinths and crocus, followed by Brodiaea, creating a glowing carpet of blue in the shade.

This seems like such a lovely and easy idea that I have always wanted to emulate it. This fall I am finally starting, with a few additions. I have planted a young “October Glory” maple in my front yard (actually more of a “November Glory”, as it is just showing its full colors now), and have started a patch of bulbs underneath.
I got about 600 bulbs from Van Engelen’s end-of-season sale, 100 each of several small varieties. The earliest are a mix of blue and purple Crocuses, and Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii). These will be followed by blue Windflowers  (Anemone blanda), then Brodiaea corrina (Tritelia), and finally Drumstick Allium (Allium sphaerocephalon), which is plum-red. I hope to have a blue-to-purple pool under it from April into July.
For ease of planting, I put several of each kind of bulb in each hole. I’ll probably add Grape Hyacinth later, but that’s so vigorous that I wanted to give the others a chance to get established. Next spring  I’ll overplant the area with groundcovers Plumbago and Lithodora “Grace Ward” for their lovely blue flowers.
I’m not sure which will thrive and which will not, but I’ll enjoy and plant more of those that do well. Isn’t that what gardening is all about? I’ll let you know how it turns out.