Plan Your Spring Blooms Now – Bulbs Plants

This is the time -yes- right now- to rush out and buy some last minute, imported or local flowering bulbs to beautify your home for spring. Imported bulbs (the majority is from Holland) tend to be expensive, especially when they first appear in the nurseries, but now that the planting season is ending, you may be able to negotiate a cheaper deal, as nurseries prefer to clear their seasonal stocks.

If low to medium height, fragrant flowers are your heart’s- and nose’s- delight, opt for perfumed freesias which are easy to grow. Perfectly happy indoors or outdoors, freesias come in a wide variety of colours and, when in bloom, last incredibly well. Other fragrant options include Dutch hyqdinths; their unforgettable scent hangs heavy in the air for two to three weeks. The sensuous nargis (narcissus) is equally fragrant.

Other bulbs, some with wildly colourful blooms, may not have fragrance but they can certainly steal the show. These include anemones, chinodoxa, crocus, fritillaria, grape hyacinths, ranunculus and sparaxis. Stunning, taller flowering bulbs, ideal for the outdoors, include Asiatic and oriental lilies, alliums, crown imperial fritillaria, daffodils, Dutch iris, ethronium, gladioli, lycoris, tritonia and tulips.

Bulbs need rich, well-draining compost, and thus is best mixed with a little organic wood charcoal and a dash of river sand to ensure optimum bulb health. The bigger the bulb, the bigger the pot it needs; watering and sunlight requirements vary from species to species.

Remember to only purchase plump, healthy looking bulbs showing minimum growth. Do not buy bulbs that are damaged, show evidence of fungal growth or which have produced a substantial amount of visible growth. Do not listen to the seller on the subject of bulb health- make your own diagnosis.

By B. Khan

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