Your
YARD AND GARDEN

Dave Robson

Some things defy categorization. Take, for example, all miscellaneous spring flowering bulbs that you find in the back pages of many fall catalogs.

They are dissimilar in most every respect — except their strange sounding names and the fact that they bloom in the spring.

Tulips and daffodils are the most common spring flowering bulbs, accounting for more than 90 percent of all bulb sales. The miscellaneous bulbs usually don't produce as grand a show on a bulb-to-bulb scale as the large ones. However, in groups or naturalized, they can be quite effective. In fact, probably more so that tulips.

Over the years, Dutch hybridizers have cultivated and cross-bred miscellaneous bulbs which grow well in almost any setting.

One of the first bulbs to bloom is Eranthis, or Winter Aconite, a golden spherical flower, like a buttercup, set in a rosette of frill, finely-cut leaves, on a short stem. Flowers show up in March and unfold during bright sunny days. At night and during cold weather, the flowers fold back up into buds.

Aconites spread easily from seed and naturalize areas. Place 20 to 50 bulbs amongst hostas or along the fronts of shrubs.

One of the most adaptable of all bulbs is the Crocus, blooming in many colors from the time snow is still on the ground to mid-spring when tulips arrive. They are shown to full advantage in drifts and masses of as many as possible.

Another early flowering bulb is Galanthus, or Snowdrop, with small, frosty white bell-flowers which spread rapidly by bulb division and self-seeding.

Blooming just after Galanthus and growing roughly to the same height, Glory-of-the-Snow, or Chionodoxa, produce sky-blue, starry flowers with white centers. Don't confuse the Snowdrop or Chionodoxa with Star of Bethlehem, a similar white blooming bulb that tends to get away and can become weedy in lawns.

Musari owes its popular name, Grape Hyacinth, to its tiny blue flowers which resemble bunches of grapes. One of the biggest concerns with grape hyacinths is the fact that grape hyacinth foliage comes up in the fall while the flowers bloom in the spring.

Among the perkiest of all spring flowers, Anemones have varieties which bloom in early spring and early summer. Some flowers are poppy-shaped, others have double rows of petals. Some reach one foot, others are barely six inches. Anemones are sometimes named "Wind flowers."

Other small miscellaneous bulbs are Puschkinia, or Lebanon squill, with lovely clusters of blue or white shaded and striped bells, and Scilla or Squills which resemble Blue Bells. Both flower in early or mid-spring and spread easily.

Among the tall and late flowering miscellaneous bulbs is Fritillaria. The giant of the clan, Fritillaria imperialis, or Crown Imperial, grows to about three feet. Strong tubular stems support five to seven upside-down tulip-shaped flowers of yellow, red or orange with a green ruff on top. On the downside, Fritillaria produce an odor. It's best to locate the bulbs away from windows.

Allium, with many variations in size and flowering time, is the glamorous cousin of the onion with round flowers in shades of red, white, light blue lavender, purple or yellow.

Plant these and all spring flowering bulbs in soil that is well-drained and fertile. Mix bone meal high in phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, into soil loosened to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Set bulbs in soil, pointed ends up. Plant the bulbs 2 1/2 times their largest dimension. Cover with soil and water. The area should be mulched with wood chips or compost to stabilize ground temperatures. Water regularly until ground freezes.

After blooms fade next spring, cut the stems just below the flowers if possible, but don't cut foliage until it turns yellow. Some flowers are too small to deadhead. Even after flowers die, the leaves help build nutrients to generate a new bulb for next year's show.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois. You can write to Robson in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-Mail: robsond@idea.ag.uiuc.edu

16 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING OCTOBER 1997