Bulbs shouldnt have any problem getting up through a good few inches of mulch, unless its much deeper than that? If your soil isn't parched then that rules that out. Could your soil be actually waterlogged? Lots of bulbs have a tendency to rot in damp conditions.
Then perhaps I should actually dig up and examine some bulbs. If rotted I guess I'm doomed.
Hi. Welcome to the board. I assume that you live in US by your use of 'condo' . Hope im correct there.
First thing i thought was that you should have bought artificial grass no one wants to mow it. Besides that it seems that you think the mulch might have caused damage? This would be unusual unless it has some sort of taint in it.
You say that the soil is much improved and easier to work since the mulch, so that's something good. Bulbs will come through mulch, no problem. Were the bulbs placed too deep??
If others have shrubs etc that are growing ok then theres no problem. Is the shade from the bushes all day? Or is it partial shade? If so then again this should not be too much of a problem.
Overall it sounds like a lack of planning. If you have some shade then you could have bought plants that like some shade etc. You need to water and feed new plants a lot until they get established and usually they will be better next year once they have their feet down.
Under the mulch, what is the soil like? Is it light, clay etc, acid or alkaline? What sort of temperatures do you get (min & max) over the year?
I face directly West across an expansive golf course and NORMALLY the sun is excruciatingly intense except this year the association wouldn't trum the bushes, which blocked it. They were finally trimmed last week.
I placed the bulbs about 3-5 inches under the the soil, as per the nursery's printed instructions for each but with mulch over them perhaps that was too deep.
You raise an excellent question regarding the acidity of the soil. I've not THOUGHT to test it and don't know how. Is there a kit or soil testing strips I can purchase, perhaps? Then I could probably alter the soil accordingly.
Minimum temperature here is -20°F and maximum is about 100°F. That's farenheight. We aren't on metric here. It's been 80° - 98° (exceptionally hot) this last month.
Bulbs shouldnt have any problem getting up through a good few inches of mulch, unless its much deeper than that? If your soil isn't parched then that rules that out. Could your soil be actually waterlogged? Lots of bulbs have a tendency to rot in damp conditions.
Then perhaps I should actually dig up and examine some bulbs. If rotted I guess I'm doomed.
Good afternoon, tuffkitten and happy 4th of July. A timely date for you to have contacted a largely British forum.😀
Even though I have no knowledge of condos it is good to see that the spirit of community co-operation is the same the world over.
I cannot comment on your predicament per se, but if the soil was rock hard when the mulch was applied and you had no rain thereafter your plants are probably sitting in a dustbowl with a lid of mulch on top to keep them nice and hot and dry.
We have one forum member called Blue Onion who lives in Utah and who may be able to give you a more American take on things.
Very sorry to hear about your problems. Good luck.
Hi Pansyface!
Thank you for well wishes and while I am in Midwest U.S. I don't participate in festivities of such as I'm of British AND Native American ancestry so today's celebration is quite contrary to both heritages!
As for rain, we've had enormous, record breaking amounts of rain in recent months. Quite TOO much, actually.
I came upon the forum as my ISP is in London. I also know individuals in the U.K. and Europe alike are very keen on flowering gardens with limited space so figured I could get assistance readily
You have quite an extreme of temperature there. The reason i asked about acidity of the soil is because you mentioned Azalea and they are acid loving plants and need to be watered with rain water.
Yes you can buy a small kit to test the soil usually they are quite inexpensive. But, DO NOT attempt to change the soils ph, it is too much of a job and will probably fail. What you need to do, after finding out the ph is to only buy plants that thrive in those conditions Right plant right place. Also, look around and see what grows successfully in your area.
Please, please, PLEASE...can you send some rain our way (Newark, the original one, in Nottinghamshire, England). Reluctantly dragged the hose out and gave the borders a drink as my butts have all run dry now. And it all looked so beautiful at the end of May:'( .
However, my advice to YOU would be to drag aside the mulch and try and get a load of organic matter in there, you may still have a chance to boost what's in there. Gardenias and azaleas like acid soil (pH 4.5-6.0) so you may have alkaline and I think you may have lost them unless you dig them up and put them in containers with ericaceous soil. Otherwise, I would go around and find the prettiest garden in the sub-division and knock on the door and ask questions. Gardeners love to share experience (this GW site is a prime example of amateur 'experts' who really know so much and are willing to share their tales; I know, I've received so-o-o much good advice from here).
I came upon the forum as my ISP is in London. I also know individuals in the U.K. and Europe alike are very keen on flowering gardens with limited space so figured I could get assistance readily
Hmm..I'm curious....
ISP in London?..is that possible?
Did you try posting on US forums?
I don't want to sound un-welcoming in any way but a lot of folk on here wont have a clue what you're talking about.
US forums will be more familiar with the "political environment" not to mention weather patterns, soil, light etc etc..
Finally, if you know as little about gardening as you say I'm afraid IMHO any advice you do get from here (no matter how good or well meaning) will probably not be of much use to you because of the seemingly complicated rules in force at your condo....and may even mean you spending more money unnecessarily.
Yes...ISP is in London. I customize devices and have all over world.
Politics refers only to favoritism, which isn't exclusive to any country.
I doubt we have especially unique soil or weather here and the flower options I've chosen are not native to the Americas. I simply found this forum by accident when googling my question.
No big deal! I can withdrawal my question and post it somewhere else.
I'd not noticed this was a British forum but perhaps there ARE differences in your sun and soil, etc. Thank you for the heads up!
Please, please, PLEASE...can you send some rain our way (Newark, the original one, in Nottinghamshire, England). Reluctantly dragged the hose out and gave the borders a drink as my butts have all run dry now. And it all looked so beautiful at the end of May:'( .
However, my advice to YOU would be to drag aside the mulch and try and get a load of organic matter in there, you may still have a chance to boost what's in there. Gardenias and azaleas like acid soil (pH 4.5-6.0) so you may have alkaline and I think you may have lost them unless you dig them up and put them in containers with ericaceous soil. Otherwise, I would go around and find the prettiest garden in the sub-division and knock on the door and ask questions. Gardeners love to share experience (this GW site is a prime example of amateur 'experts' who really know so much and are willing to share their tales; I know, I've received so-o-o much good advice from here).
Thank you! My gut IS to rake the mulch away as I've noticed the few bulbs that DID sprout are not covered in mulch.
I think I'll purchase some fertilizer for acid loving flowers as well and use that on my Gardenia, Azaleas, and I THINK the Roses like that too!
You've given some sound advice I can run with.
I'm going to hit up Amazon and see if there's a soil test kit available so I can determine how to best adjust soil. Perhaps I'll end up relocating different types of bulbs as per their PH requirements.
Posts
As for rain, we've had enormous, record breaking amounts of rain in recent months. Quite TOO much, actually.
I came upon the forum as my ISP is in London. I also know individuals in the U.K. and Europe alike are very keen on flowering gardens with limited space so figured I could get assistance readily
Thank you for responding!
Yes you can buy a small kit to test the soil usually they are quite inexpensive. But, DO NOT attempt to change the soils ph, it is too much of a job and will probably fail. What you need to do, after finding out the ph is to only buy plants that thrive in those conditions Right plant right place. Also, look around and see what grows successfully in your area.
However, my advice to YOU would be to drag aside the mulch and try and get a load of organic matter in there, you may still have a chance to boost what's in there. Gardenias and azaleas like acid soil (pH 4.5-6.0) so you may have alkaline and I think you may have lost them unless you dig them up and put them in containers with ericaceous soil. Otherwise, I would go around and find the prettiest garden in the sub-division and knock on the door and ask questions. Gardeners love to share experience (this GW site is a prime example of amateur 'experts' who really know so much and are willing to share their tales; I know, I've received so-o-o much good advice from here).