Bulbs, for many people, are associated only with spring. In fact, they can provide colour all the year round. All the same, the spring favourites - Narcissi (including Daffodils) and Crocuses - will probably remain the most popular first choice.
There are many varieties of Narcissi and Daffodils which can be grown in pots and between them provide colour for nearly three months of the year. Florists sell many different types, usually when the plants are just in bud. The two varieties most commonly grown from bulbs planted in the autumn are the Paperwhites and Soleil d' Or, since they are particularly easy to start under home conditions. Keep pots of Narcissi (at least 3 bulbs to a pot) cool, dark and slightly damp until the shoots are 4 inches high and the flower buds well in view. If the flower buds stay hidden, remove the side shoots when transferring the pot to a warmer room. Spray the buds lightly until they have opened.
Crocuses provide a bewildering choice of brilliant colours. The two-colour varieties form a particularly decorative group. Vernus Violet Vanguard blooms very early when other flowers are few. Its colouring is particularly charming: a pretty blue with delicate French grey outside. It is just one of the many large-flowered varieties (height about 4 inches) but there are smaller species which are particularly effective planted close together in a large bowl or crocus dish (a special pot with holes in the sides as well as at the top in which to plant bulbs so that when they flower the Crocuses form a colourful 'mound'). Another dimunitive flower which gives a welcome splash of colour as soon as winter is over is Chionodoxa, Glory-ofthe-Snow. One of its most elegant varieties, C. gigantea, has enormous flowers of a pale violet with an ice-blue centre. Plant the little bulbs in a group. Other attractive ones are C. lucilea rosea, with pink blooms, and the lovely deep gentian-blue C. sardensis.
The Schizostylis coccinea or Kaffir Lily, which is not a true lily at all, is a striking bulb for spring flowering. It grows up to 3 feet tall and bears a graceful spike of about a dozen red or pink flowers.
Other bulbs to plant for spring blooming include: Muscari (Grape Hyacinths), Puschkinia scilloides (Squills) and Scillas. All of these are small and blue. The starry little Sparaxis and Ornithogalum are also small, and the former is available in many colours, while the latter is usually white. Among taller plants, many of the Allium family flower early in the year (with big globular heads of; little flowerets), and there is a choice among Irises, Lilies and Fritillarias. Be sure to select varieties suitable for growing indoors. Richardia (Arum Lily) and Ixia (African Corn Lily) are even more spectacular where there is space to show them off well. |
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Growing Tomatoes -
The popularity of growing tomatoes , Pumpkin Beetle in the home , Bamboo Flooring garden vegetable , Growing Herbs patch is unquestioned. Few other crops give so much satisfaction in their growing , Pruning or have so, much culinary value. In a great number of gardens , Clay Soil - How to Improve Clay Soil in southern Victoria they are...
Propagating by Cuttings -
In propagating cuttings it is advisable to select a sheltered spot in the garden, , Containers for Bonsai free from cold , Coastal Gardening winds and from many hours of direct sunlight. Woody cuttings, since they have a certain amount of food , Repotting Bonsai stored in their tissue, do not need much light, , Stony Soil but a c...
Roses -
The Rose , Seed Raising and Drainage is deservedly the most prized of garden , Propagating by Layering plants. It is of easy culture and suited to a wide variety of soils, , Plant Diseases in Australian Natives with exquisitely shaped, often fragrant and delightfully coloured blooms, which continue flowering , Bronze Orange Bugs over a long period.
Fossil remains in...
Australian Bushland Gardening -
The first step in making a new garden , Hanging Baskets in these conditions is to examine carefully all the growing , Creating a New Lawn plants; any tree , Sowing Mix for Australian Natives or shrub , Lawns from Stolons that is diseased or damaged should be dug out and destroyed. Some undergrowth might have to be cleared, and very tall trees, , Interior Design - Using Colour even t...
Vegetable Garden Design -
Vegetable garden , Know Your Tree's Soil design is important if you wish to get maximum reslts from your limited space. The old fashioned kitchen garden , Moving Your Roses is a productive food , Spring Bulbs factory. Follow these few basic design , Bulbs & Corms principles to get your vegetable garden , Ground Covers off...
What Plants to Plant, and Where? -
Use tall-growing specimens sparingly unless they have a slender growth , Creating a New Garden form, or unless you are anxious to blot out some unsightly view. Place , Containers for Bonsai tall-growing trees , Creating a New Garden away from the house , Repotting Bonsai and remember these are the ones which, if evergreens, cast long shadows in...
Green Manure -
In a large garden , Plants for Window Boxes a good plan , Crop Rotation is to rest one seventh of the area devoted to vegetables , Seed Raising and cut flowers , Growing Ginger every year, and to sow this seventh with a green , Builders Insurance manure or cover crop which can be dug or ploughed in at the end of the season. , Pruning Established Roses A more intensive program...
Hedge Plants -
The hedge , Push Lawn Sweepers is generally built of one type of tree , s and Shrubs or shrub. , Builders Insurance The idea of using two or more varieties of unrelated plants , Medicinal Tea - Lemon Balm is rarely considered, yet an interesting feature , Hydroponic Systems - Aggregate Culture can be developed by so doing. Such a hedge , Hydroponic Systems - Aggregate Culture could be the only colour , Growing Bulbs Outdoors note in a small gar...
Dianthus -
Dianthus is a genus of roughly about 300 species of flowering plants , The Light Brown Apple Moth in the family Caryophyllaceae. These are native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa. There is one species (D. repens) in arctic North America....
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