Prepare warm welcome to new generation
Today, my son Ben joins me in writing this weekly horticulture column. It has evolved from me to we — I am delighted!
Ben offers his new, young voice to horticulture. He lives in a fourplex near downtown Guelph where he grows a tomato plant on his small deck and also has a plot at the local community garden. He loves indoor, tropical plants. As a fourth-generation gardener, he earned a diploma in agriculture (“I love food, Dad!”) from the University of Guelph, then a business degree from Dalhousie University, where he worked for Halifax Seed. Academically, this kid has already outclassed his father. After graduation (the second time), he worked in the food industry for a couple of years.
And this column marks the beginning of us working together.
We offer you both of our voices — one, a 26 year old, full of passion for horticulture and anxious to learn more; the other his Dad, who still loves his work and enjoys learning.
Together, we plan on delivering a sound message to you each week that engages you and makes you want to take up the trowel and give the gardening experience a go.
On that note . . . let’s talk about bulbs.
There is a slight difference of opinion in our household about springflowering bulbs. The consensus is that every spring we thank ourselves for the foresight to plant them in the fall for early spring colour. Drive down any street around the end of April and you can see who is enjoying the early flushes of colour from crocuses, tulips and daffodils bursting into bloom — and those whose yards are still stuck in winter.
Where we disagree is how many bulbs and where. Mark enjoys the show of his 20,000 daffodils bursting through the lawn, and Ben’s enthusiasm is tempered by having to mow the grass between the thousands of clusters.
Regardless of whether you plant in formal, contained beds, or prefer a full-yard take over, the time to plant spring-flowering fall bulbs is now. And you will thank yourself later. Start with naturalizers: “Naturalizing” refers to bulbs that improve each year and never fade. While you plant them in the fall, they will come back year after year. It should say on the package, “Suitable for naturalizing.” This is your gift to future generations.
Devise your planting strategy based on whether you prefer a “formal” or “full-takeover” show of blooms.
For more of a natural look, turn around and throw the bulbs over your shoulder. Plant them wherever they land for a natural appearance.
Generally, we avoid planting bulbs in straight lines, like soldiers. This works for large plantings by municipal parks’ staff, but not so well for smaller, residential gardens.
When planting, always plant bulbs with the pointy side up, and about two- to three-times as deep as the bulb is thick (measured from top to bottom). Add bone meal to the hole to encourage early root development. Succession of colour: It is easy to plan for continued blooms and colour early/mid April through late June.
Look for these details when you buy your bulbs: they are labelled “early,” “mid,” or “late” season by variety.
Consider this list when selecting your bulbs at the retailers:
Early season: crocus, scilla, muscari, snow drops (the earliest of all), botanical tulips, small narcissus
Mid-season: many tulips, hyacinth and daffodil varieties
Late season: many tulips, hyacinth and daffodil varieties plus a wide range of alliums (flowering onions) and fritillaries. Forget until spring: Now that you’ve done your part, sit back and look forward to the spring show. And if you’ve gone with the “fulltakeover,” you might want to start sharpening that mower blade! Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author, broadcaster, tree advocate and holds the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of University of Guelph and Dalhousie University in Halifax. Follow them at markcullen.com, @markcullengardening, on Facebook and bi-weekly on Global TV’s Morning Show.