Bulbs 101

BULBS

A bulb is an underground vertical stem that has tailored leaves with thick bases. The leaves of bulbs are frequently used as food storage pedicles when the plant is dormant.
The leaves of the bulb generally do not support the leaves. Plants that form true bulbs include onions, garlic, lily, tulip, amaryllis, and Iris.

Most flower bulbs necessitate a cold climate to bloom perennially. In southern part of the country, bulb species have evolved that do not always need this recurrent frosty weather to multiply. These bulbs, which grow in Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, and Texas, include several species of narcissus, French Roman Hyacinth, and the tulip.

Bulbs are easy care plants. They are a lot easier to handle than tiny seeds. However, there are two provisos; you must choose the right bulb to grow. Once grown, bulbs are hardy with a good reputation for reliability and can be left in the ground to come up year after year. There are many bulbs to choose from like, Botanical tulips, snowdrops, grape hyacinths, narcissi and daffodils. There are others that have to be lifted out of the ground and stored for the year after; these are garden tulips, hyacinths and nearly all gladioli. You usually do that once the foliage is shriveled.

The second proviso is you must plant bulbs in the right place. There are two important things one must remember; the main one being that once the foliage dies down once the flowering is over- this can be quite unsightly with large plants. You must not cut these large plant off until it is brown and withered. The next important thing is to remember where to plant bulbs, since many bulbs spread quite rapidly by self-seeding. Thus, one should not set them too close to delicate plants which maybe over run.