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EARLY FALL IS AN EXCELLENT TIME TO GET THOSE SPRING BLOOMERS IN THE GROUND
KRISTINE WHITE, for The Columbian
They come from humble beginnings...
Dull in color and rotund in shape, at first appearance, bulbs don't give gardeners much to get excited about. But in the true Ugly Ducking fashion, given a little time, oh how they blossom.
To enjoy gardening with bulbs, "You can be any age and you don't have to own a house," said bulb retailer Yolanda Vanveen of Portland-based Vanveen Bulbs International. "You can grow them in containers," on patios, porches or balconies, said Vanveen, who has a generations-long lineage of bulb and flower growers that reaches back to her family's roots in Holland.
If a person plans and plants bulbs properly, "You can have color from February through September," Vanveen said.
Lilies are perennial favorites among bulb-started flowers. "Stargazer and Casablanca lilies are best sellers," reports Vanveen. "Calla lilies of all colors, especially white and green," are also popular, she noted.
"And hyacinths - we probably sell more of those than anything else," Vanveen said of the bulb that produces a green shoot topped by a column of small flowers.
Vanveen had been in the business long enough to know that what's selling well this season might not be so hot next season. Likening the phenomenon to the clothing industry, "The thing about plants is they go in and out of fashion. Every year, something different is popular." Vanveen said vibrant colors like hot pink, dark purple and bright orange are in vogue in flowers at the present; "out" are the pastels. "A few years ago (the hot color) was salmon," said Vanveen. "It was truly amazing. One lily I had in salmon, I couldn't get enough of five years ago," she recalled.
Dig in
Experts say gardeners shouldn't dawdle when it comes to planting bulbs.
"If you can get your hands on 'em, plant 'em," urges Vanveen. "Plant them as soon as possible. Their safest place is in the ground. They do the best there and that way you won't forget to plant them. That's my attitude."
Vanveen said she knows gardeners "hear 'Plant by November 1' and all those kinds of rules," but she suggests people don't get too hung up on dates. "If you plant them in January or February, you might miss a (blooming) season," but the bottom line is the bulbs are better off in the ground, she reasons.
Kronos Hyacinth
"If you're moving or some other circumstance precludes you from planting in a garden, "Put them in a pot" and put them outside, encouraged Vanveen. Bulb flowers including crocus, daffodils, lilies, hyacinths, paperwhites and tulips all need cold temperatures to come back every year, so keeping them indoors isn't doing the plant any favors, Vanveen noted. Also, "If you get bulbs as a gift or anything in a container," such as an Easter lily or tulips, "get them outside," she urged.
By following a few simple planting guidelines, gardeners should have success say the experts.
Bulb-grown flowers are hardy and should grow well "as long as you have good drainage," said Vanveen. "Make sure they're not sitting in water" or they will rot rather than take root.
If the soil needs amending, Vanveen suggests using a "three way" mix of sand, compost and potting soil.
When placing the bulb in the hole, "I always plant with the roots down," said Vanveen. If they look like a Hershey's Kiss, plant them with the top of the 'Kiss' up. If they have any kind of sprout, the sprout goes up. If it looks like an eye, the eye goes up," she listed. "When in doubt, go sideways. They will find their way up," she said.
Vanveen said there's strength in numbers when it comes to bulbs. "Planting single bulbs means they don't have any protection. I've found that planting in groups of three or more they usually do the best. ... They're just social," she said of the bulbs. "It doesn't mean they have to be the same type of plant," she noted. Bulbs can be planted in rows, triangles, circles or whichever pattern a gardener prefers, said Vanveen.
Over time, bulbs will multiply. "You start with two or three and all of the sudden, you've got 20 coming out of the area," said Vanveen. The bulbs can be divided and shared with friends and neighbors, or planted elsewhere in one's own yard.
Above all, when it comes to bulbs, "Be patient. Sometimes they take a couple of years to do really well," said Vanveen. "I always say don't take things personally. Remember, gardening is about change. What might work in your garden might not work in your neighbor's."
Yolanda Wilson is a 2004 graduate of the WSU Master Gardener Program and is also proprietor of Vanveenbulbs.com, a flower bulb company selling on the internet and at garden shows and farmers markets. She's always happy to speak to gardening groups about flower bulbs. You can find her each Saturday at the Beaverton Farmers Market (where she's been selling bulbs for 14 years) or e-mail her at info@vanveenbulbs.com.
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