Snowdrops – (Galianthus)

Now is the time to create those beautiful displays of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, crocus and other flowering bulbs for next spring. Bulbs planted in the fall must have time to establish roots yet this fall in order to get off to a good start next spring. Many types of bulbs must also be exposed to the chilling temperatures in order to form stems and flower buds.

When selecting bulbs, always avoid those which show any signs of disease, rot or are shriveled and dry. Buy the largest bulbs you can find for best results. Smaller bulbs are often cheaper in price but may not produce good flowers the first year.

For the best display, large groupings of individual species of bulbs should be used. A dozen or more large flowering tulips or two dozen small bulbs such as snowdrops or crocus planted in an area will give an excellent show. It is better to group the bulbs to form a “flow” of color than to scatter individual plants around a large area. Be sure to plant varieties of differing heights such that the taller ones are to the back of the bed and the shorter stemmed plants are in front.

Jonquill – (Narcissus jonquilla)

In mixed perennial beds, plant daffodils and other perennial bulbs toward the middle of the bed or the back of the border. They are the only plants in bloom at that time of the spring so, even though they may be relatively short, you do not have to plant them in the front row. Remember that the foliage of these bulbs must be left to grow until it turns brown and dies which can take until the middle of the summer. By planting the bulbs back into the bed further, other plants can emerge later in the spring and camouflage the browning foliage.

Planting depths vary depending on the size of the bulb. Generally, the bottom of the hole should be about two and one‑half times the diameter of the bulb. A one inch crocus corm should be placed in a 2 ½ inch hole while a 3 inch tulip bulb needs a hole about 6 to 7 inches deep. In heavy clay soils, the bulbs should be planted a bit more shallow while in sandy soils they can be a little deeper. Bulbs planted too shallow may not survive the winter while those set too deep will be short stemmed and weak growing.

For large plantings, dig the area down to the proper depth and work some bone meal into the bottom of the excavation. For a more informal look, spread the bulbs randomly around the planting area and then adjust for proper spacing between plants. If you prefer straight rows, align the bulbs with proper spacing so that the plants can expand properly and yet fill the area with color.

Flat Side Down!

On most bulbs, the roots come from a flat “basal plate” at the bottom of the bulb. When you place the bulbs, this plate should be gently pushed into the soil to assure good contact. Avoid using too much pressure or you may damage the bulb and prevent root growth.

Cover the bulbs with the soil that came from the hole and replace any mulch which was in the bed. For bulbs which are hardy for our area, you do not need to add any extra mulch.

Occasionally, squirrels will dig up bulbs or dogs will scratch away the soil in search of the bone meal. One method for preventing this is to place a layer of chicken wire a few inches above the bulbs and below the surface of the soil. This will allow the stems to emerge but will discourage the animals from digging down to the bulbs.

Those are a few basic tips for success with bulbs. As always, if you have landscape gardening questions or have a topic you would like to see covered, please let me know. Also, I have recently published a couple of eBooks that you might want to check out. The titles are, “A Rookie’s Guide to Designing Beds and Borders” and “A Rookie’s Guide to Implementing Beds and Borders“.

I am currently working on the next eBook, “A Rookie’s Guide to Hostas, Hostas, Hostas” which should be ready by the end of November, 2012. Also, “A Rookie’s Guide to Maintaining Beds and Borders” is in the works for February of 2013.

Daylilies belong to the genus, Hemerocallis. The common name comes from the fact that individual flowers last just one day and then fade away. The good news is that a mature sized clump will develop dozens and dozens of buds and flower continuously with 5 or 6 blooms opening every day for a month or more. A few cultivars including the classic H. ‘Stella de Oro’ will have an initial flush of blooms and then follow with sporadic blooms throughout the rest of the season.

Daylilies form a clump made of tufts of grass-like foliage. They survive the winter as a swollen crown sheltered beneath the soil surface. Most varieties are extremely hardy and will thrive under widely varying conditions in the garden. I even know of one northern nursery who lift their daylilies from the ground as the last thing in the fall before snow falls. In some years, the snow interrupts the harvest and the bare root crowns of many daylilies are left on top of the ground. Next spring, when the snow melts, they just go out and pick the bare root plants up and they are as good as new.

Hemerocallis ‘Siloam Peony’

Daylilies are very easy to hybridize by either the professional or the hobbyist in the backyard. That is why there are over 50,000 named varieties registered with The American Hemerocallis Society. There are daylilies of a wide array of bloom seasons, flower sizes, heights and colors in all kinds of mixtures and patterns. Even with this vast array, however, there are no pure blue or pure white daylilies although plant breeders continue to search for the right genetic combination for these colors.

Hardy lilies would include the Easter lily and the Tiger lily. The genus for these plants is Lillium and there are many different flower types available for the home garden. However, there are not nearly as many cultivars as there are with daylilies.

Hardy lilies emerge from true bulbs and have a single, upright stem with pairs or clusters of leaves emerging along its length. Plant heights may vary from 12 inches to over 8 feet depending on the variety. Unlike daylilies, hardy lily flowers last many days before fading and several varieties are extremely fragrant. A single blossom may fill the vicinity with a wonderful scent.

There are about 9 different categories of hardy lilies used to describe their various forms. Briefly, these would include:

Lilium martagon

1. Asiatic Hybrids – Derived from species native to central and eastern Asia, these are plant of a medium size with upright and outward facing flowers.

2. Martagon Hybrids – These are one of the few shade tolerant lilies. The flowers are nodding, Turk’s cap type with the petals recurving backward. The ones that I grow do not have a very pleasant fragrance but they are wonderful in the hosta garden.

3. Candidum Hybrids – In this group are the hybrids of the species, Lilium candidum.

4. American Hybrids – These are clump forming perennials with a rhizomatous rootstock. They are generally tall growing types derived from the species Lilium pardalinum.

5. Longiflorum Hybrids – The species Lilium longiflorum form the basis of these cultivated lilies. Many of them are used for cut greenhouse flowers and are less commonly grown in the garden.

Lilium ‘Fata Morgana’

6. Trumpet Lilies – As the name implies, plants in this category have tubular, trumpet shaped flowers which face upwards and are often extremely fragrant. It includes the Aurelian hybrids along with hybrid plants from the Asiatic group.

7. Oriental Hybrids – This is the home of the “Stargazer” type of lilies so named because their blooms tend to face upwards. Hybrids of the species Lilium auratum and L. speciosum along with several species from Japan make up this group. The plants tend to be tall, have large and fragrant flowers.

8. Other Hybrids – Includes all other garden hybrids not included in the first seven.

9. Species – These are all the naturally occurring species that are not included above.