|
|
Cooperative Extension Service |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Agricultural
Experiment Station |
|
|
|
|
|
Arbor Day
Dale Bumpers College
|
Bulbs
Nothing is prettier than a field of daffodils blowing in the breeze, or a bright bed of red tulips, or the sweet smell of clumps of purple or pink hyacinths. Spring blooming bulbs are one of the easiest ways to add color to the landscape, with very little effort. In many cases, these same bulbs will continue to flower, year after year. All of these spring bulbs are easy to grow, and need to be planted now. The rainy fall we have had has delayed the planting of many plants, including bulbs. It has been hard to find a dry week, but there is still time to plant. Spring blooming bulbs can be planted from October through December, even into January, if you pre-chill the bulbs. Spring blooming bulbs need twelve to sixteen weeks of cool temperatures (below 50 degrees) for the bulbs to stretch and elongate. Without natural chilling outdoors or forced chilling in the refrigerator, the bulbs rarely exceed a couple of inches in height. This is often a problem when someone finds a bag of bulbs in the spring that they forgot to plant. If you plant it in a dried, bulbous state in the fall, most gardeners will call it a bulb. By definition, a true bulb is a modified leaf bud, consisting of a basal plate, short thick stem and fleshy scales. When you buy your bulb, it contains all the plant parts—leaves, flowers and stems. The bulb itself serves as a storage organ. While not all spring blooming bulbs are true bulbs, most underground storage organs, including rhizomes, corms, tubers and pips are collectively called “bulbs”. You can plant bulbs individually in holes, or collectively in large pits. Mass planting is often easier and creates a great display of color. Typical bulb planters meant to plant bulbs individually often shatter when dug in our rocky soils. With mass planting, you would dig a trench or pit, and begin to layer in your bulbs. Large bulbs like tulips and daffodils should be planted deep, while small crocus or snowdrops can be planted shallowly. A general rule of thumb is to plant the bulb, two to three times as deep as the bulb is large. Concentrating a mass of bulbs in one location will give you a wow factor next spring. Mass planting any color gives more emphasis than a single row of color. Once you have finished layering in your bulbs, plant pansies, violas or other winter annuals on top. The spring bulbs will grow up through them and add to the color combination. Make sure the site is well-drained, but also workable after our rains. Digging in wet soils can ruin soil structure, and standing water and bulbs are not a winning combination. When choosing your bulbs, select bulbs that are firm and blemish free. Size is also a consideration, since the size of the bulb will determine the size of the bloom. Choosing bulbs that bloom early, mid-season and late-season can also extend your plant palette. Many gardeners want bulbs that come back year after year with outstanding flowers. That is easily achieved with crocus, daffodils and hyacinths, but not quite so easy with tulips and fritillaria. Gardeners will also find that the timing of the flowers plays a role in this. All spring bulbs need a minimum of six to eight weeks of growth following bloom. It is during this “green” period that they are manufacturing the food for next spring’s blooms. The later the bulb flowers, the warmer the temperatures are getting. Spring bulbs thrive in cool temperatures. The actual flowers last longer if they bloom during cool weather, but it also aids in foliage power. If you have ever been to Holland during bulb season, it is COOL, and their bulbs are fantastic. In the south, warm springs mean a much quicker bloom display, and late flowering bulbs often die back before they have the chance to set size for the next season. When choosing bulbs, think about the color combinations. Contrasting colors or even planting one color can make a bold statement in the landscape. The first bulbs to begin blooming are the old-fashioned snowdrops and snowflakes. Snowdrops – Galanthus nivalis (common snowdrop) and G. elwesii (giant snowdrop) bear beautiful white flowers start the season off. Then follows the spring snowflake Leucojum vernum with white flowers tipped in green dots. Both of these bulbs will return for years with very little care, and can be grown in sun to partial shade. Keep in mind that shade from deciduous trees is usually not a detriment to early spring bulbs, since they will have completed their life cycle before the trees are fully leafed out. Crocus bulbs begin blooming next. Many gardeners have started naturalizing some crocus bulbs in their lawn. By the need for the first mowing of your lawn, the life cycle of the crocus is completed and they will re-bloom year after year. These small plants produce grass like foliage with clusters of yellow, purple, white or pink flowers. There are several species, and all of them multiply quite nicely each season. Narcissus as a family encompasses quite a few different species that many gardeners lump together as daffodils or jonquils. There are early bloomers that start in late January and late bloomers that bloom into April or early May. Some are fragrant, like the Jonquillas and Tazettas with their clustered white or yellow flowers. Some have large solitary flowers, while others come in small clusters. Some are singles and some are doubles. The doubles sometimes pose a problem for us since they are not as forgiving of temperature extremes, but the others shine in our gardens year after year. Flower color ranges from white to yellow, with shades of pink and orange. Deer leave them alone, since they are poisonous. Because of the diversity, there are several months of blooms in this family alone. By mid spring, the large fragrant hyacinths show their lovely clustered blooms. In shades of pink, purple, red and white, they will re-bloom annually as long as you fertilize. Along with these are the grape hyacinths (muscari) with their grass like foliage and clusters of blue, purple or white flowers. Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides), and scilla are two lovely bulbs that bloom in the woodland garden and return annually with their nodding blue or purple flowers. Then come the tulips, which many consider the showiest of the spring bulbs. While they produce amazing blooms, temperatures can dramatically alter their bloom period, and they often don’t re-bloom well in the south. Many gardeners would not have a garden without tulips, and treat them as annuals, planting new bulbs every fall. Tulips have the widest range of flower colors and types, and some will come back better than others. The last of the spring bulbs are the Dutch iris and the flowering alliums. With a little effort in the cool days of fall, you can have a riot of color for months in your spring garden. Go buy some bulbs, then dig a hole, drop in a bulb, and sit back and wait for spring. Who could imagine those unassuming small brown ugly duckling bulbs could turn into that beautiful swan of a bloom next spring? See our additional information on bulbs. |
|
© 2006 |
|
|
University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture |
Mission
•
Disclaimer
•
EEO
•
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
