Summer Bulbs
Somehow the summer bulbs are not as widely known as the spring bulbs that are so eagerly welcomed after the winter. Helen Gordon, Master Gardener remedied that situation at the April 16th meeting.
As she gave her presentation, the realization came that here is a whole other group of under-utilized flowers. So if you are looking for something different these adaptable plants are worth searching out.
Bulbs appear in several forms: true bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes. This has more to do with describing their form or shape for the purposes of identification or labelling. Just call them bulbs, it is easier. Summer bulbs store energy from one year to the next in their fleshy roots. They are adaptable, moveable and relatively low maintenance. Some bulbs are hardy or tender or semi hardy depending on the region etc.
The hardy bulbs stay in the ground, the tender ones have to be stored over the winter and you can decide if you want to take a chance with the semi hardy!
There are bulbs for every month for continuous bloom, of every size and every condition. The list is amazing but you had to be there for the meeting because the list goes on and on.
Here are a few common “summer bulbs”: colchicum, hardy cyclamen, gladiolus, iris, dahlia, lily
Here are some not so common: tigridia, eucomis, galtonia, brodiae, camassia, iresine
Like I said, you had to be there.
