Bulb Bed

Double Bulb 20100406-DSCN0152b This bed is dedicated to bulbous plants – those species which produce fleshy storage organs. This includes true bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes, and tuberous roots.

While the most popular bulbs – narcissus, tulip, crocus and hyacinth – add color to our spring gardens, there are hundreds of bulbous plants, which, when carefully selected can provide color to your garden year around.

This bulb garden was renovated in September 2005 and again in 2011 with the goal of producing blooms 10-12 months a year.

[Show as slideshow]

Rhizomes

Rhizomes grow horizontally just below the surface. Roots develop on the underside and during the growing season, foliage and flowers sprout from the top.

Most rhizomes are easy to propagate because the long branching rhizome can be cut into segments for planting as long as each piece has roots and at least one bud.

This bed contains:

Agapanthus	Canna	Corydalis	Polianthes
Bearded iris	Convallaria	Eremurus	Trillium

Corms

A corm is a stem that is round and flat. Foliage and flowers grow from buds on the stem. The top of the corm has one or two growing points or eyes. Roots grow from the bottom.

As the plant grows, the corm shrivels away. New corms form on top of or beside the old one. Some corms such as gladiolus form cormels or tiny corms. Large corms produce flowers the following year but it may take 2-3 years for cormels to produce flowers.

This bed contains:

Colchicum	Crocosmia	Freesia	Ixia	Sparaxis
Crocus	Erythronium	Gladiolus	Liatris	Triteleia

Tubers

Tubers have different shapes: some are round and flat, others are odd-shaped and rough. Roots and shoots grow from “eyes” just like a potato.

This bed once contained:

Alocasia	Arisaema	Begonia	Colocasia	Gloriosa	Peony
Anemone	Arum	Caladium	Cylamen	Hardy Geranium

Tuberous Roots

Tuberous roots look like tubers but are really swollen roots that absorb water and nutrients from the soil. They can be propagated by cutting off individual storage roots with a bud-bearing section at the top.

This bed contains:

Belamcanda	Dahlia	Incarvillea	Oxalis
Clivia	Hemerocallis	Mirabilis	Ranunculus

True Bulbs

A true bulb has fleshy scales that store food. Roots emerge from the bottom and they come in all shapes and sizes. During growth, new bulbs form around the bottom of the bulb.

This bed contains:

Allium	Daffodils	Galanthus	Ipheion	Muscari	Tulbaghia
Bessera	Fritillaria	Hippeastrum	Iris	Oxalis	Tulips
Camassia	Galtonia	Hyacinth	Lilies	Scilla