Garden Centre

Friday, April 25, 2008

Loving up my summer bulbs

I find some summer bulbs do well in my chalk and clay soil, others just vanish without trace (rotted, or eaten by grey squirrels) but that doesn’t stop me buying and planting them every year!

To give them the best start you have to choose bulbs that are plump and firm, and usually heavy for their size, rather than shrivelled or soft. If you are planting out bulbs you overwintered in a safe place, get ruthless now – remove any rotten or hollowed out bulbs, or any with evidence of fungal growth, because planting them will be a waste of time and may actually infect other nearby bulbs with their problem whatever it may be.

Most prefer well-drained soil in a warm spot, although Zantedeschia, (which we all know better as Calla Lilies) prefer damp conditions and some lilies like dappled shade. The basic rule, with your average bulb, is to plant with the pointy bit up and set the bulb about twice as deep as the bulb is tall! I put a handful of sand under each bulb too, because of the tendency to rot out in my clay soil.

If you have pets, especially young cats, who do like to wander through your flower borders, think about planting lilies in pots rather than directly into the garden. Lily pollen, especially that of Stargazer, can be very toxic and there was a case last year in which a cat died after brushing against a Stargazer lily and then licking the pollen of its fur. It is unusual, as most animals will stay well away from pollen, but remember that small children don’t have the same instincts and are likely to have strong reactions to the toxic elements in the plant if they get it on their skin.

Calla lily courtesy of robbie jim

Labels: calla lilies, lilies, planting bulbs, summer bulbs

The All Seasons Gardener at 9:22 AM

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