Spring Flowering Bulbs

Front Cover
Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 1977 - Bulbs - 14 pages
 

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 9 - ... building or wall bloom earlier than bulbs planted in a northern exposure. Before preparing new flowerbeds, test the drainage of the soil. Dig a hole about a foot deep and fill it with water. The next day, fill the hole with water again and see how long it remains. If the water drains away in 8 to 10 hours, the soil is sufficiently well drained. If water remains in the hole after 10 hours, it will be necessary to improve the drainage of the planting site. Dig furrows along the sides of the bed...
Page 9 - ... well drained. If water remains in the hole after 10 hours, it will be necessary to improve the drainage of the planting site. Dig furrows along the sides of the bed and add soil from the furrows to the bed. This raises the level of the bed above the level of the ground. Dig and plant your flowerbeds when the soil is fairly dry. Wet soil packs tightly and retards plant growth. If you can crumble the soil between your fingers, it is dry enough for digging and planting. Spade the soil 8 to 12 inches...
Page 9 - Water the planted beds thoroughly to help setde the bulbs in the soil. In loose, sandy soil, plant bulbs 3 or 4 inches deeper than the depths recommended in the list of bulbs. Be sure to plant bulbs at recommended distances apart because many of them need room to develop new offshoots. You may allow space for overplantings of pansy, alyssum, saxatile, viola, wallflower, phlox, forget-me-not, or English daisy. These annuals provide excellent color contrast and flower display with your bulbs. Instructions...
Page 10 - ... 5- by 10-foot flowerbed or a light ring around each plant. Many flowerbeds will be fertile enough from fertilizer used on other plants grown in the bed. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers. Be sure to keep fertilizer off the leaves and away from bulbs and roots ; it will burn them. In addition to 5-10-5 fertilizer, you can use bonemeal as an extra source of nitrogen to promote plant growth for the next year. Bulbs decay when too much nitrogen is used at one time. But decay is unlikely when you use...
Page 1 - ... bulbs successfully — • Select healthy, mature bulbs and store them in a cool, dry place until planting time. • Prepare the soil in the planting site thoroughly. • Plant at depths, distances apart, and planting times recommended for each kind of bulb. • Water the plants at regular intervals. The list of plants in this bulletin includes some that grow from corms and tubers as well as those that grow from bulbs. Corms, tubers, and bulbs store food for the growing plants. All references...
Page 10 - ... for the care of plants, be sure to follow the special instructions given for each plant. If the general instructions conflict with the special instructions, follow the special instructions. CARE OF BULBS Although bulbs, corms, and tubers are all referred to as bulbs, they differ in appearance. A true bulb is composed of layers of flesh, or scales, that overlap each other like the layers of an onion. A complete flowering plant develops inside the bulb. Each year, the growing plant replaces the...
Page 1 - Some bulbs may be grown as pot plants, some as pot or garden plants, and others as garden plants only. In the garden, various kinds of bulbs may be used as foundation plantings, as borders, in front of shrubs, or in groups for masses of color. To grow summer flowering bulbs successfully — • Select healthy, mature bulbs and store them in a cool, dry place until planting time. • Prepare the soil in the planting site thoroughly. • Plant at depths, distances apart, and planting times recommended...
Page 1 - Unif olium — Pink flowers ; grows 15 inches tall; blooms in July. Plant bulbs 2 or 3 inches deep in early spring. Space them 6 to 15 inches apart in clumps of 6 to 12 bulbs. The distance between bulbs depends on the height of the plant at flowering time. Leave the bulbs in place for many years. Dig, separate, and replant them when they become crowded or produce small flowers. Amaryllis Amaryllis (hippeastrum) grows about 3 feet tall. It blooms in June and July. Flowers are red, pink, rose, white,...
Page 9 - ... rainfall. Dig a hole about 10 inches deep and fill the hole with water. The next day, fill the hole with water again and see how long the water remains in the hole. If the water drains away in 8 to 10 hours, the permeability of the soil is sufficient for good growth of annuals. If an appreciable amount of water remains in the hole after 10 hours, it will be necessary to improve the drainage of the planting site; otherwise, water will collect in your prepared flower bed and prevent proper development...
Page 1 - ... various kinds of bulbs may be used as foundation plantings, as borders, in front of shrubs, or in groups for masses of color. To grow summer flowering bulbs successfully — • Select healthy, mature bulbs and store them in a cool, dry place until planting time. • Prepare the soil in the planting site thoroughly. • Plant at depths, distances apart, and planting times recommended for each kind of bulb. • Water the plants at regular intervals. The list of plants in this bulletin includes...

Bibliographic information