#37 - Feb 2020 - Garden Stuff - © Sandy Lang - slang@xtra.co.nz
BULBS February/March: Late summer/early autumn. Equinox 20 March. Shortening days herald winter gloom. Time for something new, bright and joyful…!
Bulbs: Also, corms, tubers and rhizomes. Different names as they’re made from different plant parts - roots, stems, leaves. But to save space I’ll use ‘bulb’ to refer to any/all. Forgive me any botanists...!
Magic: Bulbs all do much the same thing. They allow the aboveground parts of a perennial plant to disappear each winter, then magically reappear next spring. The great thing about bulbs is they are much bigger than seeds - so they can produce a lot of plant, very quickly. A bulb contains all the nutrients and energy needed for growth and flowering. So, in the same time a seed develops into a fragile seedling, a bulb produces a robust, adult, flowering plant. Now ain't that clever...!
Joy: Flowering bulbs herald spring. How good it is to see the daffs. The end of a drear winter… There’s a huge range of bulbs to choose from, to give you exquisite flowers, bright colours and sexy fragrances for the six months, from late winter through late summer.
Selection: A decent garden centre will have a good range of bulbs. Remember - size really matters here. A bigger bulb produces a bigger plant, with more flowers.
Timing: For spring-flowers, plant in autumn/early winter (daffodils, tulips, freesias, grape hyacinths, bluebells, crocus). For summer-flowers plant in winter/early spring (amaryllis, begonia, calla). Read the pack label.
Indoors: Bulbs are great in the garden and can be picked for the vase. Maybe you’ve not much garden? They also grow very well indoors, in pots. Super-early, super-fast. A great kid’s project…
Potting: Use a pot with a drain hole. Bulbs don’t like wet feet. Don’t overwater. A good potting mix, with slow-release fertiliser. Stand the pot in a shady place (4-6 weeks). Move to full sun when leaves/shoots appear.
Staggering: Plant pots successively, two weeks apart. Then new blooms will appear as the old ones die off.
Mixing: Plant different sorts of bulbs in one pot, the larger ones deeper.
Recharging: After flowering, the thick green leaves make a nice pot plant. Keep in bright light, keep watering till the leaves brown off and dry. This will recharge your bulb for next year. Let the pot dry out, lift the bulb. Leave it in a cool, dry place. Do it all again next year…
More? Google how to grow bulbs___________________________________
BULBS February/March: Late summer/early autumn. Equinox 20 March. Shortening days herald winter gloom. Time for something new, bright and joyful…!
Bulbs: Also, corms, tubers and rhizomes. Different names as they’re made from different plant parts - roots, stems, leaves. But to save space I’ll use ‘bulb’ to refer to any/all. Forgive me any botanists...!
Magic: Bulbs all do much the same thing. They allow the aboveground parts of a perennial plant to disappear each winter, then magically reappear next spring. The great thing about bulbs is they are much bigger than seeds - so they can produce a lot of plant, very quickly. A bulb contains all the nutrients and energy needed for growth and flowering. So, in the same time a seed develops into a fragile seedling, a bulb produces a robust, adult, flowering plant. Now ain't that clever...!
Joy: Flowering bulbs herald spring. How good it is to see the daffs. The end of a drear winter… There’s a huge range of bulbs to choose from, to give you exquisite flowers, bright colours and sexy fragrances for the six months, from late winter through late summer.
Selection: A decent garden centre will have a good range of bulbs. Remember - size really matters here. A bigger bulb produces a bigger plant, with more flowers.
Timing: For spring-flowers, plant in autumn/early winter (daffodils, tulips, freesias, grape hyacinths, bluebells, crocus). For summer-flowers plant in winter/early spring (amaryllis, begonia, calla). Read the pack label.
Indoors: Bulbs are great in the garden and can be picked for the vase. Maybe you’ve not much garden? They also grow very well indoors, in pots. Super-early, super-fast. A great kid’s project…
Potting: Use a pot with a drain hole. Bulbs don’t like wet feet. Don’t overwater. A good potting mix, with slow-release fertiliser. Stand the pot in a shady place (4-6 weeks). Move to full sun when leaves/shoots appear.
Staggering: Plant pots successively, two weeks apart. Then new blooms will appear as the old ones die off.
Mixing: Plant different sorts of bulbs in one pot, the larger ones deeper.
Recharging: After flowering, the thick green leaves make a nice pot plant. Keep in bright light, keep watering till the leaves brown off and dry. This will recharge your bulb for next year. Let the pot dry out, lift the bulb. Leave it in a cool, dry place. Do it all again next year…
More? Google how to grow bulbs___________________________________