Terry L. Ettinger Horticulture Consulting Services
Meeting The Needs Of Today With A Vision For The Future
Questions of the Week
Spring and Summer-Flowering Bulbs
You've
got your daffodils, your crocus, your tulips, and maybe some
snowdrops and hyacinth. Oh, and maybe a few summer-flowering lilies,
too? And that pretty much does it for bulbs
appropriate for Central New York gardens, right?
Well, not exactly.
First, several of the suppliers I work with offer close to 200 different cultivated varieties of daffodils and a similar number of tulips. Some of these bloom in early to mid-March while others don't finish blooming until mid- to late May, or even early June!
In addition to nearly 400 varieties of daffodils and tulips,
they offer more than thirty other "bulb" species.
Just a few of my favorites are the early March-blooming winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis), the mid- to late May-blooming camas lily or wild hyacinth (Camassia species), and the September into October-blooming hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium).
And, finally, some "bulbs" aren't bulbs at all!
Crocus and gladiolus, for example, arise from "corms." Meanwhile, "tubers" give rise to my favorite hardy cyclamen and winter aconite. And, two of the most commonly-grown summer-flower bulbs, tall bearded iris and canna lilies, come up from modified underground stems called "rhizomes."
If you're now totally confused, don't worry. Because of the incredible diversity of bulbs, corms and tubers that can be grown in Central New York gardens, there's never a shortage of questions regarding these fascinating plants.
To see for yourself, just click on any of the links, at right!