GARDENER'S READING ROOM
Bulbs and Seeds
The Art of Gardening

Beautiful Bulbs

February is when the summer-flowering bulbs start arriving at Sky Nursery: fragrant lilies and acidanthera, dramatic dahlias and crocosmia, tuberous begonias, gladioli, cannas, elephant ears, and many many more. Plus, we'll have numerous varieties of boxed perennials such as hostas, lily-of-the-valley, bleeding heart, and daylilies.

Growing flowers from bulbs is simple and rewarding. It makes a great activity to do with a child - it's easy for even the youngest to watch how a dull bulb transforms itself into leaves and beautiful flowers. And the process is equally thrilling for experienced gardeners.

Most of the summer-flowering bulbs are somewhat tender and do best if planted after the last frost date. (The bulb packages or color tear tags will say.) In the Puget Sound area that's generally mid-April, but it varies by neighborhood and by year.

To prepare the ground for planting any bulbs, first remove all weeds and unwanted plants. Dig to a depth of one foot, mixing in sand plus organic matter such as compost or steer manure. Because most bulbs are susceptible to rotting in soggy conditions, we recommend adding an extra 3-4" layer of coarse sand under your bulb planting area if you have poor drainage.

When planting your bulbs, follow the planting depth listed on the package. As a rule of thumb, plant them three times as deep as the bulb is wide. Fertilize your bulbs at planting with a high quality bulb food such as Dr. Earth. For container plantings you may find a water-soluble fertilizer easier to use. If so, apply either Miracle-Gro or Peters 20-20-20 when the foliage is about 3" high.

In the Puget Sound area the more tender bulbs need to be dug and stored where they won't freeze (or rot). When the tops have died down after the first frost, carefully dig the bulbs and shake the soil off. Let them dry for a few days, then label and put them in well-ventilated boxes and store them in a cool (about 45F) dry place. Then you can plant them again the following spring for another summer of wonderful flowers!

A-Z bulbs that will start arriving in February: Acidanthera, anemone, begonia, caladium, calla, canna, chasmanthe, crocosmia, cyclamen, dahlia, daylily, elephant ear, eremurus, eucharis, eucomis, freesia, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, hameanthus, hymenocallis, iris, ixia, liatris, lily, lily-of-the-valley, nerine, ornithogonalum, oxalis, peony, ranunculus, sparaxis, sprekelia, tigridia, trillium, triteleia, tuberose, zephyranthes...

By Terri Williamson
Skylights Spring 2009, Vol 24, No. 1

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