Have you ever wondered about the bundles of bamboo stems you see for sale just about everywhere, from novelty stores to warehouse clubs?They’re called “lucky bamboo,” and despite their ubiquitous presen
06.06.2023 - 18:13 / gardenerspath.com / Nan Schiller
When Do I Plant Spring-Flowering Bulbs?Most of our favorite flowers that grow from bulbs bloom in the spring. But when is the best time to plant them?
Bulb flowers such as allium, crocus, cyclamen, daffodil, fritillaria, iris, Siberian squill, and tulip should be planted in the fall, so they can undergo the winter chilling they need to bloom in the springtime.
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In this article, we discuss guidelines for choosing the best time to plant bulbs, and what to do if you miss this optimal window of opportunity.
First, let’s talk about the word “bulb,” in both the strict and broad terms of its definition.
What Is a Bulb?A bulb is a type of geophyte, or a plant that’s propagated via an underground storage vessel that contains all it needs to grow and flower.
Inside are a growing bud and leaves. On the outside are roots and a scaly brown wrapper called a tunic.
Because of the tunic, true bulbs are often described as “tunicate.”
The word “bulb” is commonly understood as an umbrella term that not only applies to true types, such as the allium, daffodil, hyacinth, and tulip, but also to other fleshy-rooted plants, including ones that grow from corms, rhizomes, tubers, and tuberous roots.
These others vary in appearance and growth habit, but are also types of underground storage units.
So, although the crocus is a corm, and the caladium is a corm/tuber (depending upon who you talk to), and the iris is a rhizome, if it blooms in the spring and grows from one of these various underground storage units, that’s what we’re talking about.
We refer to these vessels of spring as “hardy” because they winter over outdoors, and experience the
Have you ever wondered about the bundles of bamboo stems you see for sale just about everywhere, from novelty stores to warehouse clubs?They’re called “lucky bamboo,” and despite their ubiquitous presen
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