Fork it - Nov 2011 - Getting the best from your bulbs
Copy deadlines and the British weather just don’t mix! When I wrote my last “Fork It” I complained that there had been little sign of an Indian summer – only for record-breaking temperatures to be reached when the October issue of “The Bay” hit your doormats. I won’t venture any meteorological comments this time, but I suspect that when this issue is published, you might be more interested in planting bulbs than having barbecues!
If you are buying bulbs by mail order or online, choose a reputable company to ensure that the bulbs will be of good quality - the bulbs should be firm and with skins intact. It is easy to get carried away when 50 bulbs don’t seem much more expensive than 30, but you may get a shock when you get to the checkout – whether it is a real or virtual one. If you want to get bulk discounts, split your orders with a friend.
Each pack of bulbs should come with planting instructions, but as a general rule, plant them twice as deep as the depth of the bulb, with the growing tip or “nose” pointing upwards. If your soil is heavy and bad drainage may lead to rotting, plant the bulbs on a layer of grit.
Bulbs look better planted in groups, but it is better not to mix different varieties e.g. daffodils and tulips, within a group. They will bloom at different times resulting in the dying foliage of the earlier flowers spoiling the effect of the later ones and from an aesthetic point of view, blocks of colour look much smarter than an odd assortment of hues and heights.
Many people express disappointment that bulbs never perform as well after the first year. This is because those flowers were the result of the efforts of the professional grower in the previous year. To get similar results in subsequent years, you have to feed the bulbs after flowering. Liquid seaweed feeds are best, as they are easy to apply without disturbing the foliage and as well as the potassium necessary for good blooms, they also contain the growth hormones cytokinins which increase the efficiency of photosynthesis.
Tulips in particular can underperform in subsequent years for a variety of reasons, e.g. the fungus botrytis tulipae or “tulip fire” which causes leaf blotching and stunted, deformed growth. In fact tulips are prone to so many problems that even the RHS suggests that they can be regarded as annual bedding plants to be dug up and discarded after flowering.
There are of course some tulip stalwarts which come up year after year and don’t require any fuss. I have found the Darwin Hybrid “Apeldoorn” a great performer, its large scarlet flowers looking great in the border surrounded by blue forget-me-nots. The viridiflora or green-flashed tulips are reliably perennial too and are fantastic for flower arrangements.
I could fill several more columns about bulbs, as there is so much to say. The best thing is to experiment with all the choice available. Two years ago I tried planting the blue camassia and found it bloomed for ages, had a long vase life as a cut flower, the dying foliage stayed neat in the border and it came up again last year looking just as good. Perfect!
