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Getting bulbs to bloom indoors

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Did you know that every bulb contains the whole plant – this makes bulbs quite a unique plant form. Now, most people think of bulbs as being spring and or summer blooming plants but they can be planted in posts and exposed to specific conditions that will make them bloom in the winter. You’ve probably noticed or even purchased bulbs in bloom in the winter from florists or garden nurseries.

If you are purchasing already potted prepared bulbs you should make sure that the bulbs are in the tight-bud stage. If you purchase them already in full bloom the flowers will only last seven to ten days depending upon the conditions in the house.

You’ll find that forced bulbs open quickly in a warm home environment, if you’d like them to last longer try to keep them in a cool room or a cooler portion of a room. temperatures of 55 to 60 degrees F will add 5 or 6 days to the flowers. You could keep the plants in a regular room during the day and then move them to a cool garage or cooler room at night to make them last longer.

If you purchase potted bulbs and want to delay their bloom period keep them in a cool area that is 35 to 40 F as this will slow growth. These temperatures will allow the plants to be stored for up to two weeks without deterioration of quality. A refrigerator or unheated garage would provide just this environment. Watering is not crucial to the plant when you are storing them in cool conditions but when they are brought into warmer areas it is important to keep the bulbs from drying out. Light is also important for indoor bulbs. If it’s too dark, the plants will elongate toward any available light.

Look for potted forced bulbs in plain pots- these are usually of higher quality. Here is a list of the peak seasons for flowering potted plants:

  • Daffodils – Mid-January through April 1 (Usually plentiful.)
  • Tulips – Mid-January through mid-April
  • Hyacinths – January 1 through April 1
  • Crocus – January 10 through March (Beyond March 1, they bloom rapidly and grow leggy.)
  • Iris reticulata – January 15 through February 15
  • Grape hyacinths – February and March

If you purchase the forced bulbs in plain pots you can spruce them up by placing the pots into decorative baskets or slightly larger secondary decorative pots.

For best effect, combine pots of bulbs with other flowering and foliage plants to create a blooming garden. Mix tulips, hyacinths and crocuses with primroses or small cinerarias in baskets. Add pussy willow branches or small silk ornaments for a personal touch.

After the bulbs bloom, you can put the plant in a bright window, stop watering it and let the foliage dry out. The bulb can then be planted outdoors in the Spring and if planted in a bright sunny area at the proper depth for its type of bulb it should bloom in a year or two.

If replanting tulip or daffodil bulbs they should be planted at 6-8″ in depth, crocuses, grape hyacinths and iri reticulata should be planted at about 3 – 4″ in depth. Plant to the maximum depth in areas where winter temperatures are harsh. Replanted tulips and hyacinths will bloom for two or three years. Iris reticulata will return reliably. Crocuses, grape hyacinths, and daffodils will naturalize, and not only will bloom year after year, but will multiply to produce more bulbs and blossoms.






Allium

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Chives and Daffodil How many of you planted Allium this fall so it will come up next late spring or early summer?

This is a large genus consisting of more than 700 species of bulbous perennials and biennials that occur in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and range in height from 4 inches to 5 feet (10 cm – 1.5 m).

Some species are edible, including onions, garlic and chives.

The most ornamental species, which are brightly coloured with beautiful flowers, mostly come from west and central Asia.

Common to the genus is the oniony smell emitted when the leaves are bruised or cut. All species have flowers in an umbel terminating on a small, erect stalk and sheathed in bud by membranous bracts.

Chive blossoms Bulbs can be fat or quite slender but generally produce new bulbils at the base, sometimes also in the flower stalks.

Cultivation:

They prefer a sunny, open position in fertile, well-drained, weed free soil. Both edible and ornamental species have the same pest and disease enemies such as onion fly, stem eelworm, rust and onion white rot. Propagate from seed or bulbils.

October Gardening Tips

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If you live in a cool climate here are a few things that you should do for your garden this month:

  • Plant scattered clusters of early flowering bulbs, such as crocus, throughout your lawn in order to achieve a more-relaxed, “natural” look, but, don’t mow the area until the foliage dies the next summer.
  • Clean up the area around your perennial flowers, such as rose and peony. If left on the ground, leaves and stems can harbor diseases and provide convenient places for pests to spend the winter.
  • Ferns can be planted or transplanted in fall.
  • Wear gloves when handling hyacinth bulbs as they have an oil in the bulb that may make some people itch. Also remember to wash your hands with cool water and soap immediately after planting.
  • Cut stems and foliage of herbaceous perennials when the leaves begin to brown.
  • Occasionally some spring-flowering bulbs to send up a few leaves in the late fall or early winter. The bulbs will remain safe over the winter and will still produce flowers next spring.
  • If cannas, dahlias, and gladioli are not hardy in your area, bring them inside after the tops are browned by frost. Allow to dry, clean off soil, and store in peat moss or vermiculite in a cool location free from frost.
  • Move and divide crowded perennials. Give some to your friends and neighbors if you have too many!
  • Let a few of the seeds of your favorite delphinium and hollyhock ripen on their stalks. When they mature, you can plant the seeds in a garden bed where they will grow into little plants that survive the winter well.
  • Add mulch to your garden beds. A 1-inch layer of chopped leaves or weed-free straw will help conserve soil moisture, protect the root system, and reduce plant loss by soil heaving during the winter.
  • lily bulbs are never dormant, you must plant them as soon as they are purchased. Prepare your beds ahead of time.
  • Mark the spots where late starting perennials will come up next spring as you clean out the flower beds, so that you can avoid damaging them while working in the beds next year.

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