These, and the flowers depicted in the photo below, are double early-blooming tulips.
The gardener can wait until March to renovate the lawn or amend the soil, but will have
no early spring flowers if bulbs are not planted soon.
Bulbs are widely available in local garden centers at this time of year. Purchase bulbs that are firm, have intact "skins," and show no sign of mold. When planting bulbs, place enough in an area to make a visual impact rather than placing one here and there. Always plant bulbs at the recommended depth to prevent the cycles of frost and thaw from heaving them out of the ground. When selecting bulbs, look at the "bloom time." It is possible to plan one big splash or a sequence of bloom lasting two months.
My hands-down favorite among the little early-blooming bulbs is ipherion,
the star flower. Beginning in late February, six-petaled, blue-and-white
flowers are carried above grassy foliage for weeks at a time.
Daffodils and jonquils live for many years, multiplying in numbers. Nowadays they come in shades of pink as well as white and yellow. There are 13 classes of narcissi. Each has its own charm. Many also have wonderful scent. Blooming at the end of the season, Geranium, Cheerfulness, and Sir Winston Churchill are my favorites for fragrance. The bulbs are toxic and thus critter-resistant.
Tulips, on the other hand, are critter candy. If Bambi knows your address, my advice would be to double down on daffodils. Tulips are short-lived perennials at best, and I treat them like annuals. The fun is in trying different color combos. Early-blooming tulips begin to flower as the narcissi are fading. The mid-season selections carry on to mid April. Late season tulips do best up north where the last frost is in May.
ความคิดเห็น