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Bulbs for Summer Color Spring is the best time to fill your garden with the colorful bulbs of summer. by Pat Roome, Pat Roome Landscape Design Summer flowering bulbs will be available for sale in early Spring. The term 'bulb' is used to describe plants that have a thickened root, they can be true bulbs such as a narcissus, tuberous such as Dahlias, corms like Crocus, rhizomes as in Iris or a tuber found in Begonias. Bulbs do not originate in every area of the world. The U.S. provides a few including the west coast Camassia and Iris douglasiana, South Africa is the source of many bulbs including my favorites Tulbaghia and Schizostylis. Many others come from Eurasia, Turkey for example. Alliums are widely spread throughout the northern hemisphere. Dahlias and Tigridia come from Mexico.

Lilies are among the hardiest summer bulbs and are easy to grow. They need well drained soil in a sunny location. Different species will be in bloom throughout the summer, the first to bloom are the Asiatic hybrids followed by the Aurelian and Oriental Hybrids from mid-summer to fall. The Alliums are very rewarding to grow and like Lilies need only to be dug and divided when the clumps become crowded. Other hardy but easy to grow bulbs include Schizostylis which blooms from July to December and Tulbaghia from June to September.

Less hardy bulbs such as Anemone coronaria, Agapanthus and Galtonia candicans will survive most Northwest winters if planted in well drained soil. Wet soil causes root rot, cold temperatures are less of a problem.

Some bulbs are not hardy and are best lifted in the Fall and stored frost free until the following Spring. Dahlias for example, which are dug when the foliage turns yellow. Wash the soil off the tubers and allow to dry. Leave the cluster of tubers whole until planting them singly in April. Store each cluster separately in a brown paper bag.

Another way to grow many bulbs including tuberous Begonias, Nerine bowdenii and Tigridia is the unglazed clay pot method. Start the bulb in April in potting soil in a pot at least 6" deep. The top of the bulbs should be showing on the soil surface .( If you are starting Begonias and are not sure which way is up, set the tuber in a saucer of water for a few days and little pink buds will appear on the top surface). Plant Nerine bowdenii, with half the bulb showing above the soil. Keep the pots in a light frost free place such as close to the house. When all risk of frost is passed, bury the pot to its rim in the ground or in a large planter. Water as necessary during the summer, but moisture should be able to move into the pot from the surrounding soil. Remove the pots before frost in the Fall. Store frost free until the following April, when you will re-pot in fresh soil and start the process again.

Here are some more bulbs to enjoy.
Hardy bulbs: Colchicum, Corydalis, Cyclamen hederafolium, and Irises.
Less hardy bulbs: Acidanthera, Canna, Dierama, Gladiolus, Sparaxis and Zantedeschia. Clay pot culture, Agapanthus, Canna, Ranunculus and Tritonia