Garden Centre

Sunday, March 11, 2007

6 Sexy Spring Bulbs

Parrots

Not birds, nor Monty Python sketches, but incredibly gaudy tulips. A parrot tulip is decribed as ‘broken’ which means its colours are more or less randomly distributed and the edges of the petals are convoluted and feathered to give a dramatically impressive appearance. Some of the best parrot tulips are white flowers broken with bright green splashes around the base of the petal, like White Parrot, or the even more outstanding Weber’s Parrot which is shell pink, white and green. If you think tulips should be red, look out for Parrot Rococo, pillar box red broken with lime green.

Alliums

Yes, it’s posh for onion, but there are surprises to be found in this family. Allium Sphaerocephalum (better known as the drumstick allium) has bright magenta heads of flowers shaped like a giant drumstick – the kind used for drums, not the kind you find on chickens. They are incredibly easy to grow and look like a million dollars.

Camassia

Imagine a bluebell - now make it twice as tall. Got that? Now turn it navy blue, and the plant you’re looking at is Camassia quamash esculenta. If blue is not your colour, then Camassia leichtlinii semi-plena is the same shape and size but an amazing, virtually neon, yellowish-white.

Dichelostemma

Okay, this is a little bit of a cheat, because you can’t grow it outdoors, but even an unheated greenhouse is good enough for the Dichelostemmia, also known, very rightly as the Californian Firecracker. Up to a foot tall with heads of bright pinkish red flowers that form a loose ball, these really are stunning plants.

Snowdrops

Yes, I know the average snowdrop (or galanthus, to get technical) isn’t very exciting, but the giant double snowdrop is – it’s like the Abominable Snowdrop, twice as big and four times as showy as its shy cousins!

Techophilaea

If you see them, buy them. These are the fabled Chilean Blue Crocus. They need to be lifted in summer and kept dry in a cool greenhouse before planting out again in autumn. If that sounds like a lot of trouble, belief me, they’re worth it. There is no bluer flower than the Chilean Blue, and you can see it from one end of the garden to the other. Your neighbours will be green with envy.

Labels: garden flowers

The All Seasons Gardener at 8:34 AM 0 Comments

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