Bulb cultivation
Botanically , bulb are bud , commonly subterranean , producing roots from their undersides , and consist of layer of sarcoid rudimentary leave , prognosticate scales , tie to abbreviated stems . There is considerable uncertainty in the creative thinker of many gardener as to the difference between bulbs , corms , rhizomes and tubers , for their subprogram is the same to tide the industrial plant over a period of untoward weather condition , such as summertime drought and winter cold . All have coarse factors : food storage ; speedy increase under suitable atmospheric condition ; and the same spirit - cycle , in that during growth and flowering , next year ’s bloom is formed in miniature , the foliage shortly reaching maturity and dying away , as do the stem in most eccentric when the whole plant enter a catamenia of remainder .
A true incandescent lamp , such as that of a tulip , hyacinth or narcissus , is a bud surrounded by fleshy or scaly leaves , arising from a flat phonograph record of ‘ basal plate ’ . In ` tunicated ’ bulbs the heavy leaves are rolled nigh together , as in the tulip . In ‘ imbricated ’ bulbs the bulb leaves are thick and overlap , as in the lily .
The determination of whether or not a particular industrial plant is a bulb depends upon the structure of the storage organ . If the botanic definition of the bulb is strictly accepted , many plant that gardeners ordinarily consider bulb , such as crocuses , calla lilies , cannas and dahlias , must be egest . These and many other plants not technically honest light bulb have bulb - alike organs that officiate in the same way as bulbs but are not structurally scaly buds . They include rounded or flattish , solid , swollen root word bases anticipate corm as in gladioli , crocuses ; elongated thickened theme telephone rhizomes as in cannas , calla lilies , lily - of the - vale ; thicken final part of stems call tubers as in sea anemone , begonia , caladiums ; and vain tuber - alike root as in dahlias .
Propagation
Nearly all bulbs produce offsets earlier or later on , and these , except for low density , give sufficient stock for the average gardener . All that needs to be done is to dig up the clumps , secernate the bulbs , sort out the small ones and replant them , treating them like mature bulb until they reach the flowering stagecoach . rhizome and tuberous roots may be treated in the same way , so each middle will produce another plant if care is taken of it . The exception are erythroniums , which rarely produce offsets , and cyclamen , which never do , and therefore can only be increased from seeds .
This leads to a consideration of raising bulb from seed . Except for the most enthusiastic of amateur , this should be allow to the specialist . Where seed is farm , it is easy to prevail a supply , but the semen of many bulbs does not get true . That is the seedling raised have characteristic which disagree from their parent . There is also the head of hybridisation fertilization to take into story , and , of course , kindle light bulb from seed is a lengthy undertaking , often a risky one as well . However , with these provisos , it may be enounce that rear lilies from seed is an interesting process .
Corms supercede themselves annually . After having thrown up its leaves and flowers , each corm shrivels away and a new corm , sometimes several , course while the leave-taking and flower of the previous one are growing .
Without bulb all gardens would be short the whole year round , but peculiarly in autumn , spring and summertime Bulbs are so popular because they generate such bounteous advantage for so little in term of money and upkeep . Bulbs make it possible to have a uninterrupted succession of colouration outdoors and indoors throughout the year . Bulbs will boom in nearly any kind of well - drain grunge . Bulbs will flourish in almost every imaginable place or situation in the garden , in sun or partial tint . Bulbs offer unnumbered kind in colouration , form and texture . When in blush they vary from an inch or two in height to several foot and the characteristics of their foliage are as diverse as their flowers . The peak of most bulb last well when reduce and are ideal for flower arrangement . Gardening with bulbs requires a lower limit of piece of work . Bulbs are easy to naturalize , founder a high percentage of successful results even for the beginner . Bulbs are not only inexpensive but are easily obtainable .
Planting
Always purchase respectable - size , healthy bulb from a reputable dealer . former order is vital to guarantee the best selection . plant life right away when the bulbs come and if this is inconvenient undetermined the bags for ventilation and keep the bulbs in a coolheaded , dry place until you are quick to plant them . Plant in well - drained soil . The huge majority of incandescent lamp will do well in any soil supply it is well drained . It is advisable , however , to treat heavy stain with applications of peat or well - rotted leafage mold .
The planting menstruation for bulbs will depend upon their blossoming time of year . The planting period for springiness - flowering bulb stretch from September 1 to December 15 in the Northern Hemisphere , but daffodil should be planted before the oddment of October . fall - flowering bulbs ( crocus and colchicum ) should be planted in August . Most summer - flower bulbs should be planted in March and April , although some , such as lily , should be found in November and December . root - rooting lilies can also be successfully set out in early natural spring .
Plant bulbs at the right depth.
Although there are exceptions , electric-light bulb are generally set with their tops about three time the diameter of the bulb below reason ; small bulb pro rata deeply . Usually , it is the pointed end of the incandescent lamp which should be uppermost , but some tubers are embed horizontally . Some bulbs , such as anemones , give no indication of which end is up , but there are commonly planetary house of previous stem or root seed . Spring - blossom bulbs such as jacinth , daffodils and tulip are establish 16 centimeter ( 6 in ) deep and most spring - flowering small-scale or mixed medulla oblongata are embed 8 - 10 cm ( 3 - 4 in ) deep . fluctuation in astuteness reckon upon the height of the stem and on the type of soil — the longer the stem and the light the soil , the deeper the planting .
No general direction can be given on space of incandescent lamp , for this may straddle from 2.5 cm ( 1 in ) to 0.6 meter ( 2 ft ) aside , depending upon the size of it of the plant , its flower and foliage . Bulbs planted in groups or cluster produce the good effects , and if flowers are want for indoor decoration extra bulbs should be plant in the vegetable garden or peculiar cutting garden .
Bulbs can be grow virtually anywhere in the garden . There is a place in every garden for some kinds of bulbs in beds , borders , edge , shrubberies , rock garden , orchards , woodlands , lawn , on wall , between paving Edward Durell Stone , in vat or window - boxful . Many bulbs can be naturalized , that is , establish in intimate radical or drifts and left to increase of course . This is often done in rough grass or timberland , The grass should be left uncut until the bulb foliation has died down naturally , usually in June .
Most bulbs do not require full sun but can be found in partial spook . Indeed , partial shade makes for longer lasting blooms . Flowers should be removed when petal fade and the foliage should not be trend off , but should be allowed to croak down course , permitting the electric-light bulb to interchange Energy Department and bloom the following time of year . Most give - flowering bulb ( the exception are lilies , anemones and genus Ranunculus which require wintertime trade protection ) should be lifted . plagiarize bulb carefully only after the foliage has perish down and store them in a cool , rime - innocent and well - ventilated place until it is clock time to replant them again . loosely , if bulbs are doing well , natural increase will make lifting of the clumps and separation of the lightbulb necessary every few years . Be heedful when part clumps of bulb not to damage them . Bulbs should always be handled carefully to avoid forcible injury .
The most commonly grown bulb prime in our gardens are narcissi , tulips and hyacinths , with lilies , snowdrops , grape hyacinth and several others also represented in the list .
Daffodil is merely the common name for narcissus , of which there are more than 10,000 named multifariousness , with some 500 in normal commercial cultivation .
With the elision of one or two kinds , such as tazettas , narcissi are hardy , tolerant and adaptable plants . They will grow in almost any situation except heavy spook or in bad - drained soil . In open land they bloom from February to the end of May . Normally most variety remain in flower for three to four week and if they are pluck in bud for cut flowers they will last in body of water for ten daytime or more .
Narcissi will wave in bed and border , naturalized in meadows , open woodland , lawns , orchards or under scatter trees , among shrub , in tubful and windowpane boxes . The lowly kind do well in rock garden and many variety are desirable for forcing .
Out of room access daffodils will expand in any well - drained grease althoughN. bulbocodiumprefers sandy ground andN. cyclamineuspeaty soil . The best sites are in sunshine or light shade with tax shelter from wholesale winds . constitute the bulbs as early in the fall as they can be obtained rich kinds that have great bulb should be imbed 13 - 16 atomic number 96 ( 5 - 6 in ) inscrutable , less vigorous kinds with small incandescent lamp 8 - 10 cm ( 3 - 4 in ) deep , and tiny mintage 8 centimeter ( 3 in ) deep . Space vigorous grower 16 - 23 cm ( 6 - 9 in ) apart , moderately vigorous growers 10 - 13 centimetre ( 4 - 5 in ) apart , and little coinage 6 - 10 cm ( 2 - 4 in ) apart . In naturalized plantings , these distances are wide-ranging considerably and it is best to dissipate the bulbs at random , in groups or drifts , planting them precisely where they diminish .
For institute bulbs out of doors , especially in greensward , exceptional planting tool are useable . Some of these are long - handled tools , shod with a circular metal ship’s boat which is forced into the soil . When the tool is lifted a essence of turf and grunge is removed intact . A bulb is then placed in the gob and the core of turf replaced over it and tauten with the metrical foot . To turn on the tender to be drive easily into hard turf the instrument is suit with a pes bar . There are versions of this tool with inadequate grip , without the fundament bar . Otherwise , when planting in grease or in the rock’n’roll garden it is always advisable to do so with a trowel , never with a dibble . If a dibble is used an air pocket may be left below the electric-light bulb , into which the roots will not grow , thus preventing right growing . If the soil is dry , water thoroughly after found .
Where winter are severe , protect bulbs which are not planted in grass with a covering of leafage or other desirable material . Feed lay down planting in early autumn and early spring , using a complete fertilizer in saltation and a slower - playact organic fertilizer in the autumn Water abundantly during dry spells when the foliage is above ground . Never off the foliage until it has died down naturally . When planting become crowded so that the bloom deteriorates in measure and quality , lift , freestanding and replant the lightbulb as before long as the foliage has died down .
tulip are every bit numerous , with several thousand name miscellanea and some 800 in commercial-grade cultivation . They differ more than narcissi and are split into 23 main groups of year , of sake mainly to the specializer .
Some tulips flower early ( in mid - April , some in mid - season ( recent April ) , and others blossom tardily , in May . The color chain is from whitened to almost calamitous , from softest pinko to deep purpleness ; there are break colors , self - colors , stripy , streaked , shaded and tinged . Some have oval flowers , some are shape like pillbox , and others are substantial at the groundwork . Some tulips resemble paeonies , others have lily - comparable bloom . There are tulip with fringed or curled petals and others with pointed petals . A number produce several flowers on a radical . Some have tiny prime , while others grow blooming up to 38 cm ( 15 in ) in diameter . Heights rank from a few curium to nearly 1 grand ( 3 ft ) .
Cultivation Bulbs can be planted out of doors between mid - September and mid - December . Species or botanical tulips should be imbed 10 cm ( 4 in ) deep and about 13 cm ( 5 in ) aside with the exception ofT. fosteriana , which should be embed 13 - 16 cm ( 5 - 6 in ) deep and some 16 cm ( 6 in ) apart , like all divisions of garden tulips . beneficial drain is of the essence ; they will thrive in nearly any well - drain soil , but in light flaxen soils the bulbs should be planted a niggling thick than normal . Tulips can be interplanted with roses or with yearbook or with other bulbs flowering at the same time , drive into account the differing heights of other works when interplanting . Species tulip do best in cheery positions , but garden tulips can be planted in sun or in fond tone . ahead of time - flowering garden tulips planted in sheltered sunny spots will add up into prime sooner , or if tardy - flowering tulips are embed in fond shade , they will last longer .
obscure fromkaufmannianatulips which are tame , all tulips should be lifted every yr when the foliage has deform completely lily-livered and commence to die off . The erstwhile flower stems should be snub off a little above the newly formed bulbs at the final stage of June or early July . They should , under no circumstance , be leave on the electric-light bulb in repositing tray . If the electric light must be clear from the ground before the foliage begin to die , to make way for other bedding plants , they may be overturn and heel into a shallow oceanic abyss in a spare turning point until the leaves yellow . The upraised bulbs should be keep out of sunshine , clean and put in in a cool , aeriform , frost - free place until planting time comes round again . Indoor cultivation is the same routine as narcissus , but forced tulip medulla are not really worth keeping for later outdoor planting .
There are far fewer hyacinth than tulip or Narcissus pseudonarcissus , but because of their beauty and their scent , they continue to be firm favorites for the garden .
Cultivation
Bedding hyacinths are best plant in tardy October about 10 centimetre ( 4 in ) deep in well - drained soil and in a sunny place . Space the lightbulb about 20 cm ( 8 in ) apart for maximal color effect . os meal forked into the soil before planting at the rate of 112 g ( 4 oz ) to the sq m ( sq yd ) will control good heads of blossom in April .
lachrymation , alimentation , mulching It is essential for all bulbs to have peck of moisture when growing actively , but surplus water during the dormant full stop is harmful . Like all plants , lightbulb react to prolific soil , but manures and fertilizer must be used cautiously . Well - molder manure meliorate soil social organization and provides nutrients for all plants and may be used to advantage with bulb as long as there is a protective level of soil between the medulla and the manure . Fresh manure should never be used . Slow - acting fertilizers other than manure are peculiarly recommend for feeding bulb . Bonemeal is one of the best and 3 kilogram ( 61b ) to a 11 sq m ( 100 sq ft ) is not too heavy an annual app .
mulch are useful in the summer to facilitate the stain to hold wet and peat is excellent for this design . Mulches intended for protective winter screening should be applied to the surface of the ground after the ground has frozen and should be remove after medulla oblongata ontogenesis is underway in the spring .
Weeds, pests, diseases
arena planted with electric light should be kept as free of weeds as possible and the surface dirt
1 . Should be loosened from fourth dimension to prison term .
2 . Injured or infected leaf should be slay and burned .
Diseases can be avoided by bribe only salubrious , top timbre bulbs , and few gardeners who do this are troubled by disease .
The major pests are slug and snails and luckily , these can be ensure by modern slug killers . In manage with any disease or pesterer , right diagnosis is crucial before recur to drastic measures . Should a disease appear among a planting , uprise the healthy bulbs , disinfect them , and move them to an orbit not antecedently used for growing bulbs of the same kind . This will usually save them from infection .
