Popular bulbs for the home gardener
Gardening with bulbs has many advantages for the gardener. Forone thing, most bulb plants are inexpensive, and bulbs aredurable out of the ground and hardy in the ground. Shopping forthe right bulbs is also easy; simply choosing firm, healthylooking bulbs, and avoiding those that are cracked, dry or softis a good way to choose the best bulbs for your garden.There are so many types of bulbs, however, that it can bedifficult to find the right ones for your garden. This articlepresents a brief overview of some of the most popular flowerbulbs. Gladiolus Gladiolas are among the most popular of allbulb plants, and their distinctive sword shaped leaves andfunnel shaped flowers are instantly recognizable to gardenersand non gardeners alike. This striking appearance has madegladiolas a favorite bulb with many gardeners, and they make afine centerpiece to any garden due to their large size andattractive appearance. The large summer flowering gladiolas canrange in height from three feet to a huge six feet, and theirvariety of colors makes them great fo...
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...r any garden.Gladiolas are best planted in the spring, but only after thesoil has warmed. Gladiolas typically bloom between 65 and 100days after planting. Many gardeners plant new gladiola bulbs atone or two week intervals over a four to six week period inorder to enjoy continuous blooms. Each gladiola bulb should beplanted four times as deep as the bulb is wide, for instance aone inch wide bulb would be planted four inches deep. Thespacing of gladiolas should be between four to six inches.Gladiolas do best in full sunlight and they should be wateredregularly during their blooming and growth phase. In much of thecountry, gladiola bulbs can be left in the ground over thewinter months, but many gardeners choose to dig them up andstore them during the winter. If you decide to take thisapproach, it is best to dig them after the leaves have turnedyellow. The bulbs should be placed in a single layer and storedin a cool, dry and dark place to dry for two or three weeks.After the bulbs have dried sufficiently they should be stored innylon stockings ...
...or onion sacks and kept in a cool and wellventilated place.Hemerocallis Hemerocallis is the scientific name for thedaylily, and it is one of the most well known types of bulbplants on the market. Gardeners love the hardy and trouble freenature of the daylily, and their arching and sword shaped leavesprovide a striking addition to any garden. Daylily hybrids cangrow as tall as six feet and bloom in the spring and summermonths. The daylily produces flowers ranging in size from threeto eight inches, and they are available in a wide variety ofcolors. The daylily gets its name from the fact that each of itsflowers lasts only a single day, but its buds open on successivedays, and this enhances the beauty of the plant.The daylily is actually a tuberous root variety of bulb, andthey are best planted during fall or early spring. Dayliliesshould be planted between ½ inch and 1 inch deep and spacebetween 2 to 2½ inches apart in the garden. As with othervarieties of bulbs, it is important to water daylilies on aregular basis during their growing season.
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