Hopefully from the title of today’s post, I have piqued your interest. What exactly do these three things have to do with one another, you ask? Today we started planting 23,000 bulbs at Coastal Maine for a wonderful spring display. This is the biggest number of bulbs that we have ever planted in the fall. At the end of today, we estimated that we had planted close to 9,000 bulbs. Have you ever planted bulbs for more than 4 hours? After several hours, your knees, back, shoulders, and wrists start to hurt. I have decided that after the age of 40, Aleve should be a free medication. That or red wine.

To alleviate some of the strains and pains, we would take stretch breaks to loosen up our bodies. I would get in one of my favorite stretches, the downward facing dog. Good thing our visitation has lessened for the season as doing yoga in public is not one of my favorite things. As I type this post tonight, reminding myself to keep my back straight with good posture and a glass of good red wine beside of the laptop, I am thinking back on the day and hoping that many others are thinking of planting their spring flowering bulbs as well.

We are planting the customary spring flowering bulbs: daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths, but this year we are adding a new bulb to the mix. A lot of people have never seen a foxtail lily in flower. Hopefully, in the spring of 2014, guests will see several hundred of them at CMBG. The foxtail lily (Eremerus stenophyllus) flowers in late spring on 3-4′ tall yellow spikes. The flowers are unlike any others that gardeners have seen here along the east coast of the United States. They start flowering at the bottom of the inflorescence, around 2′ above the ground. The bright yellow flowers continue to open as the flower stalks mature, with the last flowers opening near the end.

When you buy foxtail lilies, they will arrive as dormant bulbs in the fall. The main bulb should appear fleshy with a slightly yellow tip. Emanating off of this bulb will be several roots about the diameter of a drinking straw. The roots are 6-8″ in length so they look like light brown spiders. These roots should not be damaged so it is best to plant the bulbs in a trench 6″ deep. The site should be in full sun with well drained soil. Eremerus are wild to rocky outcrops in Pakistan and Iran to give you an idea of their natural growing conditions. They are hardy from USDA zone 5-8, needing an additional protective mulch in zones 5 and 6.

Ours are all in the ground and I cannot wait to see them emerge in late spring of 2014. Until then, there is tomorrow and we have another 14,000 bulbs to plant by Thursday afternoon. If you look at my grocery shopping list, you’re bound to see Aleve and red wine on that list this week.

–Rodney

Photos: Van Meuwen, The High Line