The Best Known Bulbs — Daffodils and
Tulips
 Bulbs are among the most popular of all
flowering plants for the garden. Bulbs have long been renowned
for their beauty, their hardiness and their
variety.
Here's a small sampling of the many types of
bulb plants available to the average gardener.
Muscari
Armeniacum
The muscari, or grape hyacinth,
is one of the most popular of all bulb varieties, and it has
been for many years. The grape hyacinth features
narrow, grassy leaves that appear in the fall and can survive
through the cold and snow of winter. The leaves of the grape
hyacinth are small, urn shaped and blue in color, and they grow on attractive
eight inch tall spikes.
The flowers on the grape
hyacinth bloom in the spring. These bulbs should be
planted in the fall in order to bloom the spring. The bulbs of
the grape hyacinth should be planted two inches deep and three
inches apart for best results. The grape hyacinth prefers full
sun or light shade and it benefits from regular watering during its
growth and bloom cycles.
Daffodil
The
daffodil may be the most easily recognizable of all bulb
plants, and it rewards its gardener with a
generous display of beautiful blooms. Besides the traditional
white and yellow varieties, daffodils also come  in shades of orange,
apricot, pink and cream.
Daffodil bulbs should be
planted twice as deep as they are tall, and they should be
spaced between six and eight inches apart. Daffodils benefit
from full sun and regular watering during their growth and
bloom periods.
Tulip
Tulips
may just be the most well known and easily recognized of all
bulb plants. Indeed, in the minds of many tulips are
synonymous with bulb plants. The tulip has long been prized
for its beauty, and tulips continue to be one of the most
popular types of flowers among casual gardeners and
professional growers alike.
In addition, tulips
are among the most hybridized of all flowers, with hybrids
available in a staggering array of shapes, sizes, colors and
textures. Some of the most popular tulip hybrids
include pastels, spotted tulips, bicolor tulips and tricolor
tulips. There are also hybrids in the brightest hues, and even
a variety that is almost black in color. The tulip comes in a
variety of shapes as well. In addition to the classic egg
shaped bloom, there are varieties with blossoms resembling the
shapes of peonies and lilies.
 The blooming season for most
varieties of tulips runs from mid to late spring. Most tulips
need a period of extended cold in order to look and bloom
their best. Feeding with a high quality, nitrogen rich fertilizer will
encourage multiple blooming. The fertilizer should be
applied before the first bloom for best results.
In
mild climates, it's best to refrigerate tulip bulbs for six
weeks before they're planted. While it's possible for tulip
bulbs to remain in the ground, most gardeners treat them as
annuals and replant them each year. Doing so is often the best
way to get the best blooms year after year.
Tulips like
full sun and they benefit from a regular watering schedule
during their growing and blooming periods. It's best to plant
tulip bulbs in the fall and tulip bulbs should be planted
three times as deep as the bulb is wide. Therefore, a 2" wide
bulb would be planted 6" deep. Also, make sure
you leave sufficient space between the planted bulbs as
well, from four to eight inches depending on the size of the
bulb.
|
