Gardening: Bulbs are like buried treasure for your garden

Daffodils in flower at Bason Botanic Garden.

Gareth Carter is the general manager of Springvale Garden Centre in Whanganui.

OPINION

Now is the time to plant bulbs.

Bulbs are like buried treasure because one can forget exactly what and where they have planted them.

Available in stores now are spring flowering bulbs, and autumn is the time for planting them.

Planting bulbs is thinking ahead, looking at the pictures on the packets and imagining how they would look in your garden.

More and more bulbs are arriving at the garden centre during March.

Don’t wait, however, as usually by the time the last bulbs arrive in store many of the earlier arrivals have sold out.

Daffodils, jonquils, anemones, freesias, ranunculus, crocus, Dutch iris and others can all be planted straight away.

Thankfully right on time we had our first major autumn rain arrive this week which is great to kick off the autumn planting season.

The cooler nights and early mornings have also arrived and certainly let us feel that the change of season is upon us.

Here are some of my favourites.

Freesias are one of the darlings of the spring garden, prized as much for fragrance as for cut flowers.

Freesias are available in a range of colours as well as double or single flowered types.

The cultivated species are from South Africa and are suitable for planting in clumps in the foreground of borders, and in gardens around the house so their delightful fragrance can be appreciated.

Freesias also do well in pots on the patio, either on their own or over-planted with pansies, violas or polyanthus.

Freesias grow well in the garden for many years without lifting and dividing.

They prefer well-drained, light, fertile soil in a warm sunny position. Mix bulb fertiliser into the soil when planting; this will promote good growth and strong and plentiful flowers.

If planting freesias in pots, use a specialist mix such as Tui bulb potting mix. This has bulb fertiliser already formulated into the blend.

They are excellent for borders, garden edges, pots and tubs as well as great to grow as a cut flower.

Ranunculus corms resemble a claw, which must be planted downwards 3-4 cm deep in a sunny, well-drained position.

Their blooms come in reds, rose, golds, lemon, yellow, white, etc, doubles on strong 30-50cm stems.

They are very effective planted in bold clumps 6-8cm apart, as ribbon borders in pots, or as cut flowers.

Anemone corms will display brilliant single or double flowers in full colour during mid-winter to late spring.

Plant 3-4cm deep and 10-15cm apart, making sure that the flat part of the corm is uppermost in a sun or part shade position. Best in a cool spot if planting now.

They look great when planted between roses also.

Both anemones and ranunculus can be difficult to germinate. Here are some tips which will dramatically increase your success rates.

They should be chilled for 5-6 weeks in the fridge (not freezer), then soaked in fresh running water for 10-12 hours prior to planting.

Blue Bells or Scilla as per their Latin name, come in white and pink flowering varieties as well as the well-known blue.

These bulbs prefer a semi-shaded spot so are ideal under deciduous trees where they can be left to naturalise easily.

Dutch iris flower in the late spring/ early summer just after the last daffodils and tulips have finished.

Dutch iris grow from bulbs rather than rhizomatous roots which many other iris types do.

Iris grow best in a full sun position

Iris reticulata are a smaller growing form of iris than the Dutch iris.

They flower earlier, usually around the same time as snowdrops but before tulips.

They are particularly well-suited to pots with their smaller growth habit.

Gladioli ‘Nanus’, known commonly as ‘painted ladies’ put on a great show with tall arching stems reaching 60-80cm tall, with several 5-6cm exotic-looking blooms per stem.

Daffodils come in such a large array of forms and colours.

The jonquil types start flowering in late autumn/ early winter with other varieties flowering in the late winter and into spring.

They are the most popular spring flowering bulb by far.

There suitability for gardens large and small, as well as success when growing in pots, all make them so worthwhile.

Hyacinths are revered for their fragrant spikes of starry flowers.

Hyacinth bulbs are best kept somewhere cool and dry and benefit from being put into the fridge to be chilled for planting in May. The fridge? Why this peculiar custom?

To answer this question, it helps to look at the areas from which these bulbs originate and appreciate the cold winter temperatures of these areas.

They come from the cold mountainous regions of southern Europe. They are often called Dutch hyacinths because much of the breeding work to develop modern varieties has been carried out in Holland.

Placing hyacinth bulbs in the fridge replicates the cold winter temperatures they experience in their native habitat and helps them to perform better in our warmer temperate climate.

Hyacinths also give better results if the plants are gradually introduced to more heat and light once they have started to grow.

This again is easy to understand because spring starts slowly in their cold native habitat.

Often, it is easier for us to grow hyacinths in pots filled with a bulb growing potting mix, then after planting, cover the pot with another of similar size to exclude the light.

Next, put it into a cool shaded spot (preferably sinking the base down into the soil).

After the hyacinth shoot has emerged, take off the cover and gradually move the pot into more light.

The more slowly the hyacinth is exposed to increased heat and light the better it will perform.

If the flowers emerge from down near the base, or leaves and stems are floppy, it usually means that the hyacinth growth has developed too quickly.

Hyacinth cultivars are ideal for pot cultivation and can be moved around the garden or brought indoors as a cheerful signal of the coming of spring.

If growing hyacinths in a special “hyacinth glass” or flask, fill with water to a level where the bulb base just touches it.

Place the bulb on the “hyacinth glass” and put in a cool, dark position until roots form.

When the flower buds begin to show colour, move the rooted hyacinth into a warm, bright room.

The flowering shoots will then develop and produce blooms.

After flowering discard the exhausted bulb since it is unlikely to provide a good display the following year.

Tulips, too, like to be chilled. More about tulips when they come into stores in April.

Now is the time to choose your spring flowering bulbs for spring – get in while there is a good selection.

Have a good week.

Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre