by Lis Friemoth
Sow now to enjoy a spring bloom
It’s not too late to plant tulips, daffodils, hyacinth,
others
The winter equinox is not that far away, but don’t worry;
it’s not too late to plant those bulbs that have been patiently
waiting for your attention.
Tulipa and Narcissus, the major bulbs, are just a couple
of the choices available in the vast array of bulbs, corms,
and tubers that brighten the spring landscape show. Most
of these spring-flowering bulbs (yes, I’m lumping them
all together under the name bulbs, so don’t call to correct
me) are botanical annuals. That means that they do well
and truly complete their life cycle in one year. Of course,
if growing conditions are good, planting was done well,
and food was provided to make them happy, they will reproduce
and the offspring will bloom for your enjoyment in subsequent
years.
If you want the bulbs to do well, don’t even think of
skimping on planting preparation. Choose a spot that receives
full to partial sun during the early part of the season.
As long as some sun is available until the bulb foliage
has browned, the bulbs will be able to produce enough carbohydrates
for maintenance, health, and food storage — all important
for bloom development.
Within those sites, the best options for many of the bulbs
are areas that are well-drained and relatively dry throughout
the summer months. Nicely loosened, well-drained soil will
give the bulbs the best opportunity to thrive, be healthy,
and provide a good spring show. Sites along buildings,
near woodland edges and in rock gardens work very well.
The optimal time for planting bulbs is when soil temperatures
have declined to around 60 degrees with readily available
fall moisture for good root development.
Give your bulbs (and tubers and corms) a fighting chance
with a healthy start. Many products will do best when worked
into the bed and allowed to interact with the natural soil
chemistry. If the planting areas are spread too widely
to do a general application, be sure to add the recommended
amount to the soil in the prepared hole. Again, read and
follow the label instructions to prevent bulb burn; some
fertilizers can damage bulbs if placed directly on them.
If you need to look at critter deterrents, now would be
the time to choose a product and apply according to directions.
Give this some serious consideration, since there is nothing
worse than planting hundreds of bulbs in anticipation of
a beautiful spring display and having critters eat them
all before emergence.
Now to the fun stuff — the bulbs. Planning for display
is a crucial part of choosing what to buy. A few main considerations
include color, structure and height, bloom form and time,
and of course, hardiness. Don’t bother to buy bulbs that
will not survive the cold unless you will be using them
for indoor forcing. Disappointment is not fun.
The entire Allium genus (onion family) has fun, vertical
impact and grow so easily in our area that there is no
reason not to put some in. They are readily available in
forms that are tall and stately, short and graceful, and
delightfully odd-colored. One to look for is a hybrid of
A. christophii and A. macleanii — Globemaster, which has
a strong structure, consistently developing 10-inch diameter
purple heads on 3-inch stems. A. caeruleum (or A. azureum)
has clear blue coloring on 1-1/2-inch heads standing on
2-foot stems. This one prefers hot, dry conditions. A.
sphaerocephalum (drumstick allium or chives) has upright
2-to 3-foot stems with ball-like heads that gracefully
dance with the wind, and it makes a nice cut flower.
Camassia are under-used and often ignored native North
American bulbs that do very well in low meadows and woodland
settings — any area with moist, damp soils in the spring.
They love full sun and drier summer soils. Commonly called
Indian hyacinth or quamash, Camassia Blue Melody can reach
to about 3 feet and has deep bluish purple flower spikes
overlooking white-edged green grass-like foliage. C. quamash
(or C. esculenta) is a shorter species of baby blue flower
coloring and green foliage while C. leichtlinii has 3-foot
blue flower spikes accented with yellow anthers over rather
upright green leaves. The bulbs (tubers really) on these
are huge, and do very well planted in mass quantities,
but they are slow spreaders. Flower display is best around
June.
Chionodoxa (or Glory of the Snow) are great smaller-stature
bulbs that bloom anytime in March or April. C. forbesii
provide white-centered, blue flowers on 8-inch stems. Even
though all are quite pretty, the C. luciliae species is
considered to be the best selection within this genus.
The blue flowers with white centers should last for about
a month if weather stays cool during the blooming period.
C. luciliae Alba is a showy plant with clusters of very
white flowers reaching about 6 inches in height. C. luciliae
Pink Giant has gorgeous translucent pink blooms on taller,
8- to 10-inch, stems. Eranthis cilicica or winter aconite
is another lovely smaller-stature bulb (technically a tuber)
only growing to a few inches in height, but it produces
a clear yellow flower emerging on bronze-tinged foliage
out of the nearly frozen ground in late winter or early
spring. Both of these early-season bulbs are great for
under-planting color with hyacinths and daffodils. They
also do very well in rock gardens but are small enough
to get lost in grassy areas.
Fritillaria can be a frustrating bulb to grow. Not that
they are that difficult to find and plant. But, as excitable
and adventurous gardeners, we can be carried away by the
form and coloring and not pay close enough attention to
the zonal requirements or the bulb condition.
The flower arrangement has two styles within this genus
— either bell-like flowers that follow the stem upwards
for a vertically striking early-season display, or one
large, clustered flower head with a bit of top foliage
above each stem. These bulbs need to be kept somewhat moist
prior to planting. They will not flower reliably if allowed
to dry out during shipment or while awaiting purchase at
store locations. Check yours for moisture if you have some
sitting around waiting to be planted. Most will take full
sun, but do like a bit of partial shade.
There are only a handful of species within this genus that
are truly hardy for our area, specifically F. meleagris
(checkered mauve to purple single-stemmed flowers, about
1-1/2 foot tall) and F. pallidiflora (light yellow-colored
flowers on 2-foot stems).
And I really can’t do this column without mentioning something
about Tulipa or tulips. They are a joy to look at every
spring, and when chosen wisely, will increase nicely over
a few short years. They are categorized into 14 different
divisions.
Single and double petal forms include early, mid, and
late-season divisions, the Darwin hybrid division, and
the Triumph division. Excellent performers include the
fragrant Apricot Beauty, Harry’s Memory, Key West, Negrita,
Peach Blossom, Picasso, Purple Prince and Salmon Pearl.
Lily-flowering (the petals splay outward at the top) have
many great cultivars to choose from. Parrot-type (usually
bright colors with serrated or twisted petals) offer texture
to any garden or container display. Variegated colors —
everything mixed from reds, whites, pinks, purples to green-tinged
— include many good selections. Try some in the Kaufmanniania
division (shorter, very hardy, star-shaped blooms), and
the Greigii division (variegated foliage, almost hosta-looking
leaves.)
Double late blooming, or peony flowering, and bouquet
style, with multiple blooms per stem, also offer lots of
great choices.
— Lis Friemoth is a horticulture diagnostician. Contact her at (262) 745-2904, P.O. Box 58, Springfield, WI 53176, visit online at www.thegardenhoe.com or e-mail her at gardenhoe@tds.net. Listen to Liz from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. every third Saturday on WISN AM1130 radio. |
