Bright bulb moment
Weekend gardener Spring-flowering bulbs
Hyacinths, daffodils, freesias, grape hyacinths (muscari), irises and crocuses can all be planted now, but wait till the weather’s colder before planting tulips.
Look for them in garden centres or search online for more varieties or bulk orders. Visit NZ Bulbs, Clandon Daffodils, Garden Post or Bulbs Direct.
Not all bulbs are equal. There are good bulbs, better bulbs and best bulbs. Select only firm, plump specimens and discard any that are soft, flabby or mildewed.
Chill bulbs – especially tulips – in paper bags in the fridge for up to six weeks before planting. Keep them apart from vegetables and ripening fruit as the ethylene they emit damages bulbs.
Early hyacinth blooms
Right through from the Victorian era, growing hyacinths in glasses was a hugely popular way to bring scent and colour into the home during the cold, dark months of the year and it still lifts the spirits today!
Hyacinth vases are available from garden centres or upcycle a sauce bottle or vase with a narrow neck. The hyacinth bulbs should be firm and show no signs of fungal disease.
Place the bulb in the neck of the vase or jar and fill the vase with water to just below the bulb (the bulb will rot if it’s touching the water). Place a little charcoal in the water to keep it fresh.
The roots will grow down into the water. Top up the water as necessary. If you like, add a quarter of a teaspoon of florist’s cut flower food to provide nutrients as the bulb grows.
Place the vase in a cool, dark spot for eight weeks (the fridge is ideal) to allow development of the flower bud. After eight weeks, when the roots have developed into the water and the shoot is about 4cm high, bring the vase out into a dimly lit place.
Then slowly (over a period of three weeks) bring the vase into stronger light and a warm position (not more than 18C). This needs to be done gradually as too much warmth will cause the hyacinth to flower before the stem is a good length.
Veges to plant now
Pop in a crop of celery. Transplant store-bought seedlings now, feed weekly with liquid fertiliser diluted in warm water, and when the weather turns, cover your plants with a tall DIY cloche or polytunnel.
Plant twice as many seedlings as you think you’ll need because they won’t put on very much growth between now and winter. Not to worry: for that must-have flavour in soups, stews and vegetable stock, add their chopped green tops as well as the slender stems.
Sow baby carrots and beets. In warm areas, you can still sow these direct, but in cooler parts of the country, sow carrots and transplant beetroot seedlings in 30cm-deep planter bags or buckets for late autumn and early winter harvesting. Baby root veges take up to 10 weeks. Any variety will do; just pick them small.
Sow or plant winter salad greens. Put in red lettuces, perennial or wild rocket (arugula), miner’s lettuce, corn salad and your favourite kale.
– compiled by Barbara Smith