#56 Bulbs in July
Bulbs in July? Yep, now is the time to start thinking about what blooms you want to see after a long winter. Sounds crazy in July, but the catalogs have been here for a while. Pages are turned down; selections are circled, and lists are started. My problem is that everything looks so good, but even the madman says you can’t grow everything.
Most people associate spring bulbs with the Netherlands. True, this is the heart of bulb country now – who hasn’t seen pictures of colorful flowers growing next to the classic Dutch windmill? Guess what? Not one of these bulbs is native to this area. So, let’s take a short ride through the history of the bulb.
Dry Mountain Slopes
Most spring flowering bulbs occur naturally on the dry mountain slopes along the 40th parallel from Europe through Asia. Look at a map; this is nowhere near Holland. So, what happened? Botanists throughout history have collected these bulbs – the Greeks and Romans had their daffodils and hyacinths – the Ottomans had their tulips, and this is where the story takes off. Actually, the story takes off with Carolus Clusius and his friend Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq.
De Busbecq, a European ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the late 1500s used his influence to get Clusius appointed as head of the Imperial Gardens in Vienna. Over the course of 14 years, he sent his friend tulips and other bulbs from the Ottoman Empire.
In 1593, Clusius moved to Leiden in Holland as honorary professor of Botany at the University of Leiden where he established a botanical garden. He brought his bulbs with him and the rest is history. The Dutch saw the beautiful strange bulbs – that was the start of the bulb industry.
Bulbs Arrive in Holland
The country was the perfect spot for bulb growing, with its mild winters, cool summers, and sandy clay soils. The madman discovered that to prosper a tulip needs a winter temperature no warmer than 48° for a period of three months, that’s why we plant them in the fall. Coupled with ample rainfall and a steady ocean breeze, the maritime climate of northern Holland produces amazing bulbs.
Fields of Flowers
The mention of spring bulbs conjures up images of fields and fields of tulips dancing in the breeze – in our minds anyway. We wanted to duplicate that image and new beds around the house provided the perfect opportunity. So, we ordered hundreds of color-coordinated bulbs from a well-respected supplier and planted them according to the directions. We waited throughout the winter. The snows finally melted (yes, we had snow that year!). And we waited. The spring rains came. And we waited. The weather warmed up. And we waited.
After the daffodils were in full bloom with no sign of life in the tulip beds, we figured something might be wrong. The madman started digging and couldn’t find a single tulip bulb. After a little research, he realized that he had provided an expensive buffet for the animals. As it turns out, squirrels love tulip bulbs and they had pilfered hundreds from our beds. The madman vowed never to plant another tulip. Interestingly, we occasionally find a single tulip in a color he would never plant in an odd spot in the yard. Go figure. I guess those gardening squirrels sometimes just move a bulb to a spot of their choice.
Bulbs for the Pollinators
Although we have given up growing the beautiful hybridized bulbs, we do not despair. You see, over the past few years, thanks to the Master Gardening program, we’ve learned to plant for the pollinators as well as for us. And, there are plenty of bulbs that please all of us.
Let’s talk about what we like to grow. The madman separates them into three categories: early, mid, and late. He considers the early ones important for two reasons. By the time the earth comes out of the Persephone period he is sick and tired of winter, so on a warm February day, he is thrilled to see the first blooms of spring bulbs. And, he’s not alone – our native pollinators who are already out waste no time in finding a quick drink.
Favorite Early Bulbs
Our favorite early bulbs are Snow Drops, Aconite, Crocuses and Wood Squills. There are others, but these are the ones we particularly like – all these bulbs are planted in the fall and all benefit from planting as soon as you receive them.
The first to bloom for us is the Snow Drop (Galanthus spp.) – often pushing through the snow in sunny spots. Deer shun this plant and we’ve had no problems with rodents eating it. As soon as we see the first Snow Drop, we begin looking for the Aconite (Eranthis spp.), a short-lived bloomer. The yellow blooms bring a smile to the madman’s face.
Speaking of yellow, who doesn’t love the sight of crocuses (Crocus spp). Seems everyone with a yard plants these. We plant mostly species crocus because they bloom two weeks earlier than the larger varieties. Admittedly we first bought them because they were cheaper, but as it turns out they are preferred by our pollinators. Siberian squill (Scilla siberica), another bulb that attracted us by its low cost is also loved by bees and other pollinators. It is also passed over by deer, rodents, and rabbits.
Mid-Season bulbs
As these early blooms start to fade, mid-season blooms start to kick in. Of course, we have our favorites here, too. First to show up is the Reticulated Iris (Iris reticulata). In fact, sometimes they show up with the crocuses. Katherine Hodgkin (Iris histriodes Katherine Hodgkin) is a particularly fun one to grow because of its yellow blotches and indigo spots. We’ve never had an animal problem with these irises.
Another deer and rodent proof bulb in our garden is the Grape Hyacinth (Muscari spp.). The madman always liked its upright flower clusters and was thrilled to find out that pollinators like them too. A little-known bulb the madman discovered a few years ago is the Checkered Lily (Fritillaria meleagris). With its nodding head and low growth, this little bell-shaped flower is not at all showy, but our bees love it and the animals shun it.
My favorite mid-season bulb is the showy Camassia (Camassia spp.) – the variety Indian Hyacinth (Camassia quamash) is actually native to the Pacific Northwest but does well in our garden. Again, the bees love it and the animals hate it. I’m starting to see a pattern here; the bees love what we do.
Late Season Bulbs
As the season progresses, more plants come into bloom, so the late season bulbs aren’t stand-alone features in your garden, but they are still worth having. King among the later bulbs are the Alliums (Allium spp.). These deer, rabbit and rodent resistant bulbs are low maintenance enough to appeal to the madman and they come in a variety of sizes and colors. They like lots of sun and a mid-summer dry period to do their best.
When you think of Iris, you usually think rhizome, but Dutch iris (Iris hollandica) which was hybridized in the 1800s grows from a fall planted bulb. Diverse colors please the madman’s eyes and provide a distinct landing zone for pollinators. Deer avoid them. Although they make nice cut flowers, we find it difficult to take them from the bees.
Last of the late season bulbs we favor is the Wood Hyacinth (Hyacinthoides hispanica). Although related to the Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) the flowers of the Hyacinthoides are much smaller and prefer a semi-shaded location. Despite a lack of fragrance, they still attract local pollinators. In certain gardening circles, these bulbs are considered a weed because they are prolific enough to take over a garden. Fortunately, ours have behaved rather well.
Daffodils and Hyacinths?
I’ll bet you have noticed that we haven’t mentioned daffodils or hyacinths. That’s because growing these bulbs is simply a given – everyone does it. It seems you can’t get through an Easter season without these flowers. When we moved into our house in 1975, we inherited mounds of daffodils and we add more every year. The madman’s tastes have begun to shift toward the dwarf daffodils over the magnificent trumpet varieties – I like his taste and the bees seem happier.
So where do you get these things – especially in the environment of COVID-19? Lucky for us there are some good mail order sources since the madman refuses to go out, not even for plants and garden stuff. I always look forward to the arrival of spring bulb catalogs so here are my favorites.
Our Bulb Suppliers
Earliest to arrive are usually those from John Scheepers and its wholesale affiliate Van Engelen, located in Bantam, Connecticut. The Scheepers catalog has enticing photos while the Van Engelen catalog is filled with beautiful botanical illustrations. Great selection, good service, good bulbs – need we say more?
Our next supplier is K. van Bourgondien. Not a newcomer to the business, they have been around since 1845 and are known for their high-quality bulbs. We have had good luck with them.
Colorblends is a company out of Bridgeport, Connecticut that specializes in large collections. The company was started by Cornelius Shipper who emigrated to the U.S. from the Netherlands after World War II. He started the company by going door-to-door selling bulk bulbs to greenhouses and flower wholesalers.
There are other high-quality suppliers out there, but as we have said in the past, we can’t order from everyone. These are companies we have had good luck with.
Be Ready When They Come
A quick note on fall bulbs. Open them immediately and inspect them. If any bulb seems moist, mushy, or diseased, contact the supplier at once. Also, read all enclosed literature – most suppliers will send bulbs at the correct planting time for your area and some bulbs need to be planted upon arrival. As I sit here with our bulb catalogs, I realize that I must get these orders out.
But first, lemonade.
