Jayne Anthony Garden Design

Bulbs

What is a bulb?
Corms, rhizomes, tubers and bulbs are collectively called ‘bulbs'. They are storage organs for the next season's stems, leaves and flowers.
There are bulbs for many places in the garden from dense shade to dry and sunny.

Using bulbs in the garden
Spring bulbs can be used to make a formal spring bedding display, planted en masse and then replaced by summer bedding later in the season. Hyacinths and Tulips work well for this as they have a sculptural form. They should be planted in blocks of colour for best effect. If you use plants with different flowering times you will get a longer season of interest e.g. Tulips, use some that flower in early April, some late April and some May.

Spring bulbs can be interplanted with later perennials so that you get colour and interest before the perennials start to take over.

Grow tall bulbs through ground cover plants to create height and interest.

Spring bulbs also look great under shrubs with Winter interest e.g. Snowdrops around Cornus where the white flowers contrast the red stems.

Bulbs can be used to create a carpet on the ground e.g. Anemone blanda.

They can be used in containers to add a splash of colour to the patio.

Naturalise bulbs under specimen deciduous trees or in grass.

Buying bulbs
You need to choose bulbs with care to ensure they will perform well.

• Press them between your thumb and forefinger. They should be firm. If they are soft, this is a sign of rot.
• Avoid any that show signs of fungal infection (white patches).
• Choose the biggest available for the cultivar that you want.
• Buy as soon as you can to get the best choice.
• Once purchased they need to be stored in a cool, dry place until planting time.

Planting and maintenance
Most bulbs like a light free draining soil although some tolerate it more damp like Camassias, Daffodils and Snowdrops.

Unless you have very free draining soil, it is worth adding some sharp grit to the bottom of the planting hole to aid drainage.

Once flowered, you need to cut down the flower stem to allow the plants energy to go into building reserves for next year rather than into food production.

Examples of bulbs

		For shade Erythronium - an elegant flower in Spring for humus rich soil. Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop) - white flowers in Winter. Narcissi (daffodils) - Spring flowering.   Damp areas Camassia - flowers early May.   Sunny, dry areas Tulips -Spring flowering. Anemone - Spring flowering. Eremurus -Summer flowering. Crocus - Spring flowering. Muscari - Spring flowering. Cyclamen - Winter flowering. Lilium regale - Summer flowering. Nerine bowdenii - Autumn flowering. Colchicum (Autumn crocus) - Autumn flowering. Crocosmia - summer flowering.