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December 2010 Newsletter©
Fall
Bulbs
After Thanksgiving is the time to plant fall bulbs. They show up in
garden centers in September, and for the best selection, you should buy them
early and store them. But if you don’t have them yet, we still have a pretty
good selection.
Most bulbs prefer full sun and are fairly tolerant of poor soil, but all need
good drainage. You can fertilize new bulbs at planting with a slow release
or organic fertilizer but use caution and do not allow the fertilizer to come
in direct contact with the bulb. The best way to fertilize established bulbs
is to spray feed them with a water soluble fertilizer a couple of times while
the foliage is actively growing. Because bulbs are deep, very little surface
applied fertilizer gets to the bulb. Other plants and microbes gobble it up,
so spray feeding is more beneficial to the bulb.
Tulips (Genus Tulipa, Family Liliaceae)
Tulips are annuals here. Plant 100 tulip bulbs and you are lucky if a
dozen return. We have too much “hot” and not enough “cold” for tulips. The
“not enough cold” is the reason we recommend buying the bulbs early and
storing them in the refrigerator until after Thanksgiving. Tulips need 12-
14 weeks of continuous “cold” to perform at their best and get uniform stem
length. Less than that and you get irregular flower height and sometimes no
flower. The bulbs should be in a paper sack (no plastic) and you should not
have ripening fruit in the same refrigerator. As fruit ripens it releases
ethylene gas which stimulates some plants to flower, but it can destroy the
flower bud deep inside a tulip bulb. Flower size is directly proportional to
bulb size. The larger the bulb, the larger the flower. If you are going to
the trouble of planting a mass of tulips, plant the largest bulb you can
find. The rewards are worth it.
Tulips come in a wide variety of shapes and colors to choose from, but pay
attention to whether they are early, mid or late bloomers. By planting some
of each you can extend your bloom time up to 6 weeks or so. If you are stuck
on one variety, you can extend you bloom season by planting in layers. Plant
the deepest layer with the base of the bulb at 8”, cover it with soil and
then place another layer of bulbs on top. The lower layer will bloom 7-14
days later than the top layer. Layered planting is a great idea for bulbs in
containers. Just one layer? Then plant tulips with the base of the bulb at
6” deep in full sun.
Can you dig the bulbs and save them? Yes, but the flowers are usually much
smaller the second year. I’d plant new bulbs but if you must, dig them after
the foliage has yellowed. Remove as much soil as you can and lay them out to
dry for a couple of days. Then dust the bulbs with a bulb fungicide or
sulfur dust to prevent rot. Store them in trays or a nylon net bag in a cool
dry location. In late September, put them in the refrigerator and then plant
again after Thanksgiving.
Narcissus (Jonquils, Buttercups, Daffodils – Genus Narcissus,
Family Amaryllidaceae)
Narcissus bulbs do very well in the Mid South. In fact, many varieties
need to be lifted and separated at least every 5 years. The bulbs often pile
up on top of each other which results in many bulbs not blooming. Choosing
bulbs can be difficult because of all the variations in height, the color
combinations of the petals and cup or the flower shape. “Isn’t that one
cool?”…has caused me to add a few every year.
Most Narcissus look best in full sun (pinks should be grown in some shade);
however you often see them naturalized in a woodland garden. The foliage comes
up in late fall when there’s little foliage left on the trees, so for several
months they are exposed to nearly full sun. When the woodland garden starts
to become shady again, the foliage is beginning to yellow off and it’s had
plenty of time to rebuild the bulb.
If you are planting masses of
bulbs in a garden, smaller bulbs may suffice, but if it’s a focal point,
plant the largest bulb you can find. Just like tulips, the bigger the bulb,
the larger the flower. For traditional large cup Narcissus, plant the base
of the bulb at 6” depth. For smaller specie varieties, plant the base of the
bulb at 2½ times the height of the bulb (a 1” bulb should be planted 2½”
deep). This
time of year, Paperwhite Narcissus are available for forcing. They are very
fragrant and have been pre-chilled so they are ready for planting in soil or more
often in bowls of gravel. When grown in gravel, water should just touch the
base of the bulb, no higher. It takes 5-6 weeks to bring them into bloom.
You can speed the process up a little by giving them a little gentle bottom
heat. Low light conditions often cause the stems to elongate causing them to
flop over. You can help prevent this by adding a little alcohol to the
water. Start adding alcohol when the plants are around 2” tall. The alcohol
content needs to be around 5%. At 10%, the bulbs can be damaged. You can
use any hard liquor (no beer or wine) or rubbing alcohol. To determine how
much you need to add, divide the percentage of alcohol by 5 and subtract 1 to
give you parts of water to alcohol. Liquor that is 100 proof is 50%
alcohol. So 50 divided by 5 is 10, subtract 1 = 9 parts water to 1 part
alcohol. Alcohol can reduce the stem height by a third or more without
affecting the flowers.
Hyacinths – (Genus Hyacinthia, Family Liliaceae)
Hyacinth bulbs will normally bloom for 5 years or more once planted. Over
time, the flower spike gets a little smaller until only foliage returns, so
plant a few every year to enjoy the fragrance. Hyacinths should be planted
with the base of the bulb at 6”. Handle them with gloves. Oils in the skin
of the bulb cause skin irritation (itching) in many people.
Tulips, narcissus and hyacinths are the most often planted fall bulbs, but
there are many other “minor bulbs” that are worth a place in the garden.
Alliums – (Genus Allium, Family Amaryllidaceae)
These are ‘onions”. They produce a spherical ball of flowers atop a
single stem. Colors include white, blue, purple and yellow and flower
heights vary from 12” tall to 48” tall.
Anemones – (Genus Anemone, Family Ranunculaceae)
Anemones should be planted in cold ground, January is probably best. They
prefer a sandy, well drained soil, plant them about 2” deep and plan on
replacing them every year.
Camassia – (Genus Camassia, Family Liliaceae)
Camassia produce spikes of lavender to purple flowers to 36” tall. This
is a good bulb near ponds or anywhere there is ample summer moisture. Looks
best if planted in some shade and protected from the hottest afternoon sun.
Chionodoxa – (Glory of the Snow – Genus Chionodoxa, Family
Liliaceae)
This is one of the earliest spring bulbs to bloom. Most species produce
10-12” spikes of lavender or blue star-like flowers, 10-15 flowers per stem.
They do not tolerate drought well, so they should be planted 3” deep in
moist, well drained soil.
Crocus – (Genus Crocus, Family Iridaceae)
Crocus bulbs are good for the garden edge because most only grow to 3”
tall. Flowers have six petals and colors include, white, creamy yellow,
yellow, orange, pink, lavender, purple and striped white/purple. They bloom
very early, often in the snow and should be planted about 3” deep. I like to
plant tulips in a container with a layer of crocus on top for early color.
Fritillaria – (Crown Imperial - Genus Fritillaria, Family
Liliaceae)
Fritillaria need to be planted as soon as you get them. The bulbs
dehydrate rather quickly, so it’s important to get them in ground as soon as
possible. Most prefer full sun but a few like F. meleagris, which has a very
unique nodding checkered flower, are woodland species. F. imperialis
produces a 3-4’ flower spike topped with narrow foliage and under which hang
yellow, red or orange bell shaped flowers. This bulb has a “skunk-like”
smell and is said to repel moles and voles. Most are large bulbs that should
be planted at 8” deep. For smaller bulbs the 2½ times rule that we talked
about above applies.
Galanthus – (Snowdrop – Genus Galanthus, Family Amaryllidaceae)
Galanthus produces a single white nodding flower per stem but it
naturalizes and forms large clumps that are quite showy. It prefers sun but
will bloom in some shade. Bulbs should be planted about 3” deep and if you
need to divide and separate, they move best right after the flower fades
while you still have foliage. Foliage grows to around 8” tall, flower spikes
to 12”.
Leucojum – (Snowflake – Genus Leucojum, Family Amaryllidaceae)
Leucojum produce a flower spike with 1-8 bell shaped white flowers
depending on the specie. Each petal has a green spot near the end. This is
one of my favorite minor bulbs because it forms clumps quickly that can have
hundreds of flowers. L. aestivum (Summer Snowflake) grows to about 12” tall
and blooms in late spring. L. vernum (Spring Snowflake) grows to about 10”
tall and blooms in early spring. It does not tolerate drought well. Plant
bulbs about 3” deep.
Lycoris – (Magic Lily, Spider Lily, Naked Lady – Genus Lycoris,
Family Amaryllidaceae)
Lycoris foliage comes up in the fall and lasts until late spring or early
summer. In mid to late summer “like magic” the flower spikes emerge and grow
rapidly to a height of 18” – 24” topped with 5-8 flowers. L. squamigera
(Naked Lady or Magic Lily) is the most commonly seen and it has lily shaped,
lilac rose red flowers. L. sanquinea has lily shaped red flowers. L.
radiata (Spider Lily) has very thin red petals and L. aurea has yellow spider
like flowers. Plant Lycoris bulbs 5-6” deep.
Muscari – (Grape Hyacinth – Genus Muscari, Family Liliaceae)
Muscari comes up readily from seed so it can quickly naturalize an area.
It prefers sun but will tolerate some shade. The foliage is blue/green and grass
like, the flower spikes have tightly packed purple or blue flowers. Muscari
grows to about 12” tall and should be planted about 2” deep.
Ranunculus – (Buttercup – Genus Ranunculus, Family Ranunculaceae)
Like anemones, these should be considered annuals and must have excellent
soil drainage. Most often seen are the Tecolote Hybrids which may produce
single or double flowers in white, pink, yellow or orange. Probably best
planted in January also at a depth of 1”- 2”.
Scilla – (Squill – Genus Scilla, Family Liliaceae)
Scilla is a good plant for naturalizing in the woodland garden but it will
tolerate full sun with sufficient moisture. It produces 8” spikes of purple,
blue or white flowers depending of the specie in early spring. Plant Scilla
about 3” deep.
The single most mportant thing to remember about bulbs… Don’t cut the
foliage off until it yellows naturally or it cannot strengthen the bulb to
bloom next year.
Last month’s question was…
Let’s assume you
have ½ acre of land. If you get 1” of rain on it, how many gallons of
water would that be?
The correct
answer is about 13,577 gallons and we had several people get it right.
Let’s try this
for December…Once upon a time, back in the 1820’s, this dude named Joel was
trekking through Mexico and he found a weed he liked. He brought it back
to the U.S. and it has been found growing wild in Shelby County.
Any idea what it is?
The contest ends
on December 15th. Drop by either store to enter or you can
email your entry to
questions@danwestonline.com.
One winner, selected from all correct entries, will receive a $25 Dan West
Gift Certificate.
Thanks for shopping
with us at Dan West.
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