Planting Summer Flowering Bulbs

Time to plant summer bulbs- February 2010

I was out at the nurseries this week checking out stock and getting some plants to fill in gaps in my garden. I was happy to see the summer flowering bulbs for sale and now is a good time to get those in.

Lilies, Gladiolas, Tuberous Begonias, Dahlias and Peony are available in tuber form and can go into pots with annuals or perennials or into loamy soil.

This year I made a small plateau in the garden with sand, potting soil and garden soil about 6″ high so that the bulbs could drain quickly and have some nice loose, fertile earth to root into.

The tuberous begonias I plant in pots in the shade and they last for quite awhile that way.

Add some slow release fertilizer to the planting areas and remember to stake the tall flowers as they tend to fall over.

Most of these are good cut flowers and the Lilies smell good (remove the anthers as the red pollen dust falls off onto your tablecloth!). My goal is to have flowering bulbs blooming all year and I am almost there!

Tuberous Begonias are best in pots and should have morning sun only. Feed with fish emulsion or organic fertilizer for flowering bulbs.

Native Tiger Lily- just one example of the many types of lilies. Nurseries will have lily bulbs in a wide array of colors.

shrub peony — Shrub type Peony in Santa Clara. I didn’t think they would do well in the Bay Area but have been proved wrong by seeing some beautiful full bushes at people’s homes. They like coffee grounds mixed into the soil below their foliage. The Japanese hybrids do the best here.

Daylilies can be grow from bulbs or nursery containers and do well in our area. Remember to fertilize- they like their food. Lots of pretty colors available. They do amazingly well in New Hampshire too :0)

Gladiolas- one of the best cut flowers for summer. They tend to lean or fall over so its good to stake them or grow them through a flower support. Gladiolas grow from corms which are similar to bulbs but more flat. Easy to grow in good soil at the back of perennials borders.

What a gorgeous array of color in this Dahlia bed ! My uncle grew them in Pacific Grove, CA and the flowers were the size of a sandwich plate- wow! They like the cool temps there and sandy soil. I have had luck with them in a filtered light area planted in loose soil. They like regular water and liquid fertilizer i.e. fish emulsion, miracle grow or manure tea. In the above photo you can see the plastic mesh the grower used to support the heavy flowers. In a smaller garden you can stake each plant individually or use pre-made metal flower supports (these have 3 legs and a circle of medium heavy mesh at the top to tall flowers). Install the supports before the plants flower and tie them as the stalks develop and then flower.