Colorful Carpet Mix

The Colorful Carpet Mix originated in the backyard of our Dutch supplier, who wanted to plant a shady, root-filled area with a variety of small bulbs. He was fretting over a design when inspiration struck: Why not save time and effort by putting 4 or 5 different bulbs in each planting hole? The white, pink, blue, and yellow stars, bells, and goblets that appeared the following spring were magical, and because the bulbs increase by offsets or self-sowing, the display gets better every year. Includes Anemone blanda, Galanthus, Hyacinthoides, Ipheion, Ornithogalum, Puschkinia, Chionodoxa, Crocus, Muscari, and Allium moly for easy-care color from late winter to early summer. You'll see a joyful succession of flowers, from the earliest Snowdrops and Species Crocus to the Spanish Bluebells and Lily Leek (Allium) of late spring. Although bloom times can vary widely because no two springs are the same, the bulbs will bloom generally in the following sequence beginning in early spring: Galanthus, Crocus, Chionodoxa, Puschkinia, Ipheion, Anemone blanda, Ornithogalum, Muscari, Hyacinthoides, and Allium moly. Most are under 8″ tall. Not labeled. 100 bulbs cover 9–10 sq ft.

This mix is not labeled by individual variety. It is intended to make a carpet of overlapping colors, although if you wish to plant groups of the same variety together, the bulbs and corms look different enough so that you should be able to sort them.

These bulbs and corms are quite small and should be planted only 2-3" deep. Plants have a greater impact when spaced 2" apart, but this is not a hard and fast rule. You can plant them in any arrangement you wish. A hand trowel easily scoops out a planting hole that holds about 5, but you can quickly dig a trowel into the ground and pop a single bulb in, or plant in any sized group, between perennials, along a walk, or in the grass.

Diminutive grassy foliage sets off the flowers. Foliage browns and melts away without making a mess, and disappears completely under the emerging foliage of perennials. If you just leave them alone - don't deadhead or cut back - these plants will often self-sow, popping up charmingly in unexpected places and increasing over the years.

HOW PLANTS ARE SHIPPED

The size of the plants we ship has been selected to reduce the shock of transplanting. For some, this means a large, bareroot crown. Others cannot travel bareroot or transplant best if grown in containers. We ship these perennials and annuals in 1 pint pots, except as noted. We must point out that many perennials will not bloom the first year after planting, but will the following year, amply rewarding your patience. We ship bulbs as dormant, bare bulbs, sometimes with some wood shavings or moss. Shrubs, Roses, vines, and other woody plants may be shipped bareroot or in pots. The size of the pot is noted in the quick facts for each item.

WHEN WE SHIP

We ship our bulbs and plants at the right time for planting in your area, except as noted, with orders dispatched on a first-come, first-served basis by climate zone. We also ship a wide range of containers and planters, tools, supplies, fertilizers, garden wear, garden decor items, as well as indoor decorations like wreaths and dried bouquets when available. Estimated dates for shipping are indicated in the green Shipping Details box for each item. Please supply a street address for delivery. Kindly contact us with two weeks notice, if you'll be away at the expected time of delivery.

OUR GUARANTEE

We guarantee to ship plants that are in prime condition for growing. If your order is damaged or fails to meet your expectations, we will cheerfully replace or refund it. Please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-503-9624 or email us at [email protected]. Please include your order number or customer number when contacting us.