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Summer
is over and in the garden we are cleaning up, covering up
and preparing for winter.
All the
while enjoying the cool nights with heavy dews, the last of
the flowers and the beginning of the fall colours.
Like spring, autumn is a favorite
time for me. One of the things I like best is the arrival
of the bulb catalogues. These rival the spring seed catalogues
and I spend many hours deciding what treats I can choose for
this year. Over the years my garden has been filled with bulbs
selected from fall catalogues or sometimes picked up in the
store. I really prefer the catalogues; they give lovely pictures
and good descriptions; possibly they may cost a little more
as there is the shipping and handling, but against that, is
the certainty that the bulbs have been carefully stored and
will not have dried out as is the case with some that are
lying out for weeks in bins.
Now I
have bulbs flowering from March to October, old friends that
greet me regularly each year.
First, of course, are the snowdrops
(Galanthus nivalis) appearing in March or early April depending
on the snow cover. They are ready under the snow to flower
immediately when the snow is gone. Snowdrops will naturalise
and spread, covering large areas over the years. If you want
to start them in another spot do not wait for the leaves to
die down but move them as soon as they have finished flowering,
Almost at the same time as the
snowdrops the bright golden cups of the winter aconite (Eranthis
hyemalis) will brave the cold and flower through the snow.
It is sometimes difficult to get them started as the
corm dries out easily. If you are fortunate you may find it
for sale at a Horticultural society or even find a friend
where it is well established and a few plants can be moved
in summer while they are still leafy.
Bought from a store it may be wise to soak the corms
overnight before planting. Once it is established it will
make a golden mat, scattering seeds, which germinate and grow
if left undisturbed.
By the end of April the small
bulbous irises will be in flower.
Iris danfordiae is a bright yellow, which makes it
vulnerable to attacks from birds such as sparrows and chickadees
who seem, attracted to it, I suspect chipmunks are too. However
they do not attack the blue Iris reticulata. There are many
cultivars of this delightful little iris all less than 10
cms tall most are blue or dark purple, a few are white. An
added bonus is that some have a lovely scent. All will increase
and make handsome clumps over the years, which can be divided
and spread around the garden.
There are too many delightful
bulbs to be able to describe them all....alliums,.scillas,
chionodoxa, fritillaries, species crocus and species tulips.
The last are particularly rewarding. Tulipa tarda has shining
petals of yellow edged with white, T.aucheriana is pink and
white and T.bakeri "Lilac
Wonder is lilac and gold. There are fourteen of the species
tulips listed in one catalogue alone. They all multiply rapidly
and naturalise well. Many of the species originate in snowy
mountains in Turkey and are absolutely hardy here. As with
many early bulbs their foliage hangs on rather longer into
summer than one really likes so plan wherever possible to
plant them under perennials or plan to grow annuals over the
leaves.
Later in the season for early
summer I have found the summer Snowflakes (Leucojum spp) very
rewarding, these are like large snowdrops and need light shade
and if possible a slightly damp situation.
The season ends with the Autumn
crocuses and the colchicums.
By the time you read this it is probably too late to
buy these bulbs unless you can find one that has been overlooked
and is trying to flower forlornly on a shelf.
When planted in September the bulbs start to flower
immediately. All are pink, purple or white; the autumn crocus
is smaller than the colchicum and includes the saffron crocus,
which provides us with the golden spice we find in Spanish
paella. My colchicums
are just appearing through the thyme lawn and will put on
a magnificent show with their purple flowers for weeks unless
they are beaten down by autumn rains. One of the most beautiful
is the double named "Waterlily" which is absolutely
magnificent but very expensive. With these plants it is essential
to remember when choosing a site for them that next spring
they will produce enormous leaves which will not die down
until August; these provide the strength for the bulbs to
produce the beautiful flowers so late in the year.
Finally I always allow myself
one experiment in the year. This time it is a new bulb named
the Mariposa Tulip or Calocortus. It is golden yellow with
upright bell shaped flowers with a pattern in the centre.
It requires good drainage, a sandy loam and baking sun in
the summer. This would have been a good year for it here and
I look forward to seeing it in flower next spring. I will
be reporting on it a year hence!
************************************************
Rachel
McLeod has many years of experience in gardening... particularly
with herbs.
She occasionally lectures on herbs and plants for natural
gardens.
She can be reached at 905-659-1001.
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