Summer Flowering Bulbs

Dahlia 'Happy Party'

Spring 2008- Vol. 21 No.1            

Summer flowering bulbs give the Vermont garden
a touch of the exotic.  Their rich, vibrant blossoms
are the jewels of the perennial or vegetable
garden.  These bulbs are very easy to plant. 
Many of the slender branched varieties can be
tucked in amongst existing plants while the other,
more robust ones, will need a larger plot of
ground.  The benefit is that they bloom from mid-summer (Ixia, Tuberose) well into October (dahlia).  Dahlias actually peak in the cool autumn months which is such a plus for a cutting garden
  
Read the list of our 2008 offerings to see which will fit best in your garden environment.

1. Acidenthera (Gladiolus Callianthus) Beautiful six –petaled  “Peacock Orchid” is pure with a maroon center.  Heavenly scented at night.  Plant in May in a warm, sunny site and provide plenty of moisture.  Attractive as a single stem in a vase or as part of a mixed planting in a pot.  Plant a clump near the patio to enjoy during your evening cocktail.  Lift corms before first hard frost and store for the winter as you would other bulbs.
2. Calla are elegant additions to the flower garden.  Plant in full sun in well drained, loose soil that you mulch to retain even moisture.  Callas will bloom about 90 days after planting.  They are long lasting in the garden and the vase.  Callas are related to Jack-in-the Pulpit but not as hardy.  Varieties carried by us this year are; ‘Dark Eyes’- soft pink with a dark burgundy center, ‘Amethyst’, a rich, velvety wine color, and ‘Flame’ which has an apricot interior with a bittersweet outside.
3. Ixia - Native to South Africa this bulb produces 2 foot stalks of flower sprays in shades ranging from pale pink, to lilac, to bright pink.  Plant the bulbs close together, about 10 per square foot, in well-drained soil.  It is a good cut flower.
4. Nerine, also known as the Spider Lily, is an herb in the Amaryllis family native to South Africa where it grows best in poor, lean soil.  In Vermont plant it in your rock garden, perennial garden or on the warm side of a sunny, exposed wall.  You can also grow them in pots.  Do not fertilize these bulbs.  Both the pink and the red cultivars we carry grow in the summer and bloom in late summer, early autumn.  Stalks are 2 feet tall.
5. Polianthus tuberose.  Creamy white spikes of highly fragrant flowers in mid-summer.  Fabulous cut flower with a long vase life.  The tuberose is an important flower in the perfume industry.  Plant in a pot that you bring in each winter or directly in the ground in a sunny location.
6. Tigridia.  Native to Mexico, these exotic flowers have bloom shape similar to that of a toad lily only larger and in bright colors.  Plant the corms about 3 inches deep in well-drained soil in a warm, sunny location.  This variety of mixed bulbs in shades of bright yellow, pure white and deep red all have a tubular spotted throat.
7. Gladioli.  Long a favorite of Vermont gardeners, the gladioli has been hybridized to produce a whole new range of colors and heights.  We have chosen some exceptionally beautiful ones that we cannot wait to plant in our display gardens.  Here are some you too can enjoy.  Black Beauty; deep burgundy,  D-Day; rich red,  White Friendship; pure white with a soft yellow throat,  Flevo Eyes;  pure white with a magenta throat,  Green Star;  soft lemon-lime green blooms will compliment all your other flowers,  Jubilee;  bright pink-orange with yellow accents,  Nanus Mix;  an assortment of brightly colored flowers with contrasting shading on some petals. This dwarf variety grows only 2-3 feet.
8. Dahlia.  Our huge selection is listed on page 135 of the Horsford catalogue.  You will find tall ones, short ones, large blooms, small blooms, multi-petaled and single rows of petals around a contrasting center.  All make wonderful cut flowers.  The large ‘dinner plate’ dahlias are exceptionally beautiful displayed as a single bloom in a simply vase.