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Elisabeth C. Miller Library

Keyword: Bulbs

The bulb hunter

Bulb hunter book cover I received at an early age a birthday present of a dozen gladiolus corms. The results – plants taller than I was, with brilliant colors – were enthralling and made me a life-long bulb (more accurately: geophyte) enthusiast. For author Chris Wiesinger, it started with a single red tulip bulb. He planted “his little rock” in his Central Valley of California home and forgot it. The next spring “something magical had occurred; my living rock had turned into the most striking red tulip.”

Sadly, this was a one-and-done experience. The next year, only leaves appeared. A year later, he dug down to find the remains of a rotted bulb. But it lit a spark, and for Wiesinger, this experience turned into a combination business and consuming passion. He wrote his story in “The Bulb Hunter,” co-written with William Welch.

Wiesinger was only a temporary Californian. He returned to his southern roots in Louisiana and now Texas, searching for bulbs who have long out-survived the demise of the house they surrounded. This includes an elusive, perennial red tulip (Tulipa praecox), but it is found only where there is gritty black clay, so hard that it bends shovels. This quality protects the bulbs from their natural enemies, gophers and voles, and the good drainage allows drying out in the summer, much like the tulip’s central Asian homelands.

The book is divided into two halves, with the second being author Welch’s story. His is more typical garden memoir, recounting the bulbs and companion plants that thrive in each season for Texas and the Gulf South. While it is a stretch to use this as guidance for Pacific Northwest gardening, there are some interesting possibilities here, and I’m looking forward to trying them.

I was pleased that gladiolus species are prominent in both halves of the book. Gladiolus byzantinus (syn. G. communis var. byzantinus) is found in old cottage style gardens and Wiesinger considers it one of the most valuable bulbs he sells. Unfortunately, it is also a favorite of gophers and voles. The challenges of thwarting these “glad lovers” will amuse every gardener.

Excerpted from the Fall 2019 Arboretum Bulletin.

on protecting bulbs from wildlife

I am trying to plant some bulbs but they are being disturbed and eaten by the squirrels. Do you have any tips and tricks to protect my bulbs from being snacked on?

Here is a 2009 article by Sally Ferguson in the online archive of BC Living magazine on preventing squirrel snacking:

Excerpt:
Q. How do I keep squirrels from digging up bulbs?

A. Squirrels can be terrible pests! They won’t bother daffodils and other narcissi bulbs (which taste terrible to them!), but they find tulips and crocus in particular to be worth the effort to sniff out and dig up.

The only sure-fire way to protect tulips and crocuses and other tasty bulb treats from squirrels is to lay wire mesh such as chicken wire on top of the bed. The squirrels can’t dig through the mesh and the flowers will grow neatly through the holes.

Bulbs are most vulnerable in fall immediately after planting when the soil is still soft and worked up. Digging then is easy! Squirrels often “chance” upon bulbs when burying their nuts in soft ground. Or they are attracted by “planting debris” such as bits of papery bulb tunics and other bulb-scented bits from the bulb bags. Don’t advertise your plantings: clean up and keep those squirrels guessing!

Here’s one neat trick that garden writer Judy Glattstein has found to work: after planting new areas, lay old  window screens in frames on the ground, covering the newly-worked up soil. The screen weighs enough to
foil the squirrel, but allows for air circulation and rainfall. Once the ground has settled, remove the screens and store for future use.

Another remedy that some find successful is to feed the squirrels during the fall and winter. The theory is that the local squirrel population, when offered a handy plate of peanuts or other easy-to-get treats will leave your bulbs alone. At the White House, the gardeners put up six peanut-filled feeding boxes to satiate the furry denizens there — and reduced squirrel damage on bulb beds by 95 percent!

Many gardeners claim success with commercial repellents, but these are often sticky and unpleasant to deal with, or wash away in the rain.

Home remedies include sowing cayenne pepper into the soil or on the bulbs before planting and scattering moth ball flakes on the ground. You will find advocates and detractors of both methods. A favorite Dutch remedy is
to interplant Fritillaria imperialis. This tall dramatic plant gives off an odor that squirrels (and deer too,  reportedly) find repellent. There is a book on the subject, Outwitting Squirrels, by Bill Adler, Jr. (1988 Chicago Review Press, Chicago, IL). It’s aimed at owners of bird feeders, but you may find some helpful hints.

on planting oriental lily bulbs

I was recently given 6 Oriental lily (Lilium) bulbs – bare root. It seems much too cold (late February) to put these in the ground. They are currently naked in the garage, but would it be better to pot them until the ground is workable? I have not raised lilies before, other than daylilies.

Generally, it is good to plant bulbs soon after you get them, but if you need to wait (due to cold weather and unworkable soil), keep the bulbs somewhere cool, and keep them “in moist sand or peat moss until scales plump up and new roots begin to sprout” (Sunset Western Garden Book, edited by Kathleen Norris Brenzel, 2001).

The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Lilies by Michael Jefferson-Brown and Harris Howland (Timber Press, 1995) confirms your thought that it is too cold to plant them out in the garden (I would wait until the threat of freezing temperatures subsides). According to the resource mentioned above, your lilies will do very well in pots, so what you could do is pot them now, and if you decide you would like to move them into the garden when it warms up, you could either put them, pot and all, into the border, or gently remove them from the pot without too much root disturbance, and plant them in the soil.

on pruning flowering bulbs

This is my first year planting spring flowering bulbs, which
grew nicely. I cut the dead flower and the stalk once it died back, and now the
foliage is yellow. What am I supposed to do with the yellow foliage? Pull it out? Cut it off? Just leave it alone? Also, will
planting some annual petunias now hurt the bulbs I have planted in the
garden? How close can I plant the petunia to the bulbs? I was going to
try and hide the yellow foliage.

 

The answer will depend on which bulbs you were growing. For example,
daffodil stems should not be cut back until at least 6 weeks after the
flowers have faded, and you should never tie the foliage in knots or
braid it (this is a common but ill-advised habit). You can leave
daffodils in the ground to naturalize and spread.

With tulips, you also need to wait at least 6 weeks from the fading of
the flowers before cutting back the leaves.

With hyacinths, you can pull away dead foliage and flower stems as they
fade. When the top growth has died down, you can either leave them in the
ground or dig up the bulbs, dry them off, and store them for replanting.

If you are growing iris, you can cut the dead flower stems to the base,
and cut away dead leaves in the summer. If they are bearded iris, the
fan of leaves may be cut back in the fall to about 8 inches above the
base.

(Source: The Plant Care Manual by Stefan Buczacki, Crown Publishers,
1993)

You can certainly plant your annual petunias quite close to bulbs like
daffodils and tulips and other bulbous plants which are quite vertical.
Just don’t plant right on top of the bulbs. To disguise dying bulb foliage, use perennial ground cover plants that keep their leaves over the winter, and that have stems soft enough for bulbs to emerge through them. Hardy geraniums (true geraniums, also called cranesbill) and creeping veronica, such as Veronica peduncularis ‘Georgia Blue,’ are good choices. You can remove dried leaves as needed, and they can be tidied or groomed in early spring.

Garden Tip #20

Amaryllis bulbs are too beautiful (and expensive) to simply throw away after blooming. Starr Ockenga’s book, Amaryllis (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2002) describes how to care for the bulbs so they will produce new flowers year after year. In a nutshell,

  • fertilize the bulbs bi-weekly with a balanced houseplant food after the flowers fade;
  • move outside to an eastern exposure after spring night time temperatures reach 60 degrees;
  • stop feeding and slowly cease watering towards the end of summer to induce dormancy;
  • cut off all foliage, green or yellow, and store in a cool place for three months;
  • start watering again to stimulate the new flower to bloom.

    Ockenga also describes growing Amaryllis in water, and suggests keeping the water level at the base of the bulb, and changing the water periodically or adding charcoal to prevent algae growth. If you plan to save your bulb, you may need to pot it in a container with soil. You may store the bulbs bare-root, rather than in soil, but when you do this, you should sprinkle them with water once a month to keep them alive. She says it is easier on the plants to store them in pots (in soil). If you have space, you can refrigerate your bulbs (not in pots)and store them at 45-50 degrees in aerated bins for at least 6 weeks. Don’t store them near fruit, as ripening fruit releases ethylene gas which will cause your bulb to rot or produce misshapen blooms.

    Here are links to additional information:
    Iowa State University
    University of Illinois Horticulture Facts

Garden Tip #64

What to do with a flower bulb once the flower is gone? It depends! For daffodils, remove the seed head, but let all the foliage turn yellow before you remove it. Braiding the foliage is not recommended because the toxins in the leaves can cause contact dermatitis. If a clump is getting crowded dig and separate the bulbs once the leaves have started to wither. Thin out the small and damaged bulbs and replant the rest. Or store the bulbs, unwashed, in a dry shaded place until September.

For tulips, it’s a bit more complex. Most showy, large-flowered tulips don’t rebloom well, so should be treated like an annual- dug up and tossed. However, Darwin Hybrids, ‘Apeldoorn’ is one example, do rebloom the following year. These should be allowed to yellow and wither naturally and their seed heads removed. They can be divided when the foliage withers. If you don’t know what you have, play it safe and leave your tulips for another year. If the show is disappointing then dig them up and toss.

For a fun tour of the world of bulbs try Lois Hole’s Favorite Bulbs (Hole’s, $1995), a book packed with photos, trivia, growing advice and design tips.

Asters, chrysanthemum, salvias and ornamental grasses are a few perennials that emerge and distract the eye when bulb foliage is yellowing.

Garden Tip #131

There are pros and cons of buying pre-bagged “bargain” bulbs. On the plus side discounts are generally offered on bulk purchases leading to a better impact of massed flowers in the garden. On the other hand, buying pre-bagged bulbs doesn’t allow for inspection for disease or choosing the largest sized bulbs. Also, only the most popular cultivars are sold this way so you wont find the choice or the rare pre-bagged!

Garden Tip #130

Gardeners must forgo instant gratification when buying spring flowering bulbs in the fall, but a few dollars spent in September promise flowers for years to come. Here are the rules for buying good bulbs, with exceptions noted:

  • Bulbs should be heavy for their size and larger bulbs give bigger or more numerous flowers, although some tulip and daffodil varieties are naturally small in stature.
  • Bulbs should be firm and clean looking, but a little bit of the blue-green mold may be ok if it wipes off easily and the bulb is otherwise firm and heavy.
  • The papery skins should be whole, except on tulips and crocus where some sloughing and cracking is ok.
  • The bulb should not be “growing” yet (i.e. roots or stem should not be elongated.
  • The sooner you purchase and plant, the better. Bulbs languishing in a heated store will start to grow, which can lead to rot and decay.
  • What about those bulbs on sale in mid December or the bulbs you forgot about until early January? Go ahead and plant them, but the flowers may be on short, distorted stems this spring. The exception is lilies that never truly go dormant. Buy and plant these as soon as they are available. Don’t waste your time or money on bargain lilies.

The Curious History of the Bulb Vase

Bulb season is upon us—time to consider forcing a few for winter indoor color. Amongst the many bulb books in the Miller Library are a handful that focus on this delightful art.

The newest is The Curious History of the Bulb Vase (2012) by Patricia Coccoris. The practice of growing bulbs suspended in a vase over water dates back almost 300 years, but it didn’t become widespread until the 1800s. For much of that century the hyacinth was the most popular of the spring flowering bulbs and also the easiest to grow this way, a boon to both bulb sellers and buyers.

The vases themselves became an art form, and collectible. The author catalogs these developments with many fine photographs and period advertisements, making the book itself a work of art. While most vases were made of glass, others came in porcelain, ceramics, and even terracotta. Planting bulbs in bowls became more popular in the early 20th century, but high-end bulb vases are still made today.

An extensive chapter recommending other bulbs to try—from amaryllis to alliums, and even acorns—makes this more than just a history book. But the history is the most fun. Especially amusing are the experiments with antipodal hyacinths, requiring a special design that allows one to grow up, while below it another grows down into the water. Quite curious!

 

Published in Garden Notes: Northwest Horticultural Society, Fall 2013