Flowering bulbs for Georgia landscapes
RSVP by calling 706629- 8685 to get yourself on the list. The class will start at 12 noon and will conclude by 1 pm. The idea is for you to bring your lunch and while you are enjoying your lunch hours, you learn about a topic. Again, I hope you take advantage of this opportunity.
Our topic today is going to be about flowering bulbs and how to manage bulbs in the landscape. I will be sharing information from a UGA publication by Dr. Paul Thomas, Dr. Gary Wade and Bodie Pennisi, UGA Extension Horticulturists. For starters, bulbs open ups a variety of opportunities for the gardener.
You will see bulbs used as border items, planted in big displays and even grown as potted bulbs. Most stores that sell plants will have bulbs for sale. If you are thinking about adding some bulbs to the landscape, there are some things to keep in mind. First, when you start doing research there needs to be some consideration to hardiness of that bulb variety for your areas. A hardy bulb will be a type that can handle cold climates while a tender bulb is one that cannot deal with cold temperatures and can only be left in the ground in warmer climates. This time of year, many people also are going to be concerned with the spring flowering bulbs. Spring flowering bulbs are planted in the fall and then will bloom the next spring. Most spring flowering bulbs are completely hardy in Georgia according to our literature, but do your homework in variety selection.
Proper planting site selection should be considered in regards to success too. Most of the spring flowering bulbs like light shade to full sunshine. It is suggested to at least pick a site for spring flowering bulbs that will give at least 6- 10 hours of direct sunlight each day. This does not mean you have to plant them in full sun setting because keep in mind that many of these bulbs will produce a bloom and foliage before most of your deciduous trees will leaf out in the spring. This means they should get that light requirement before it gets shady in those spots.
On the flip side, if you are going to plant a summer bulb, you need to pick a spot where they will get those recommended light hours. If you do not get that needed light, you can get poor flowering, but you can also get some bleaching of flowers and foliage due to too much light in some varieties.
I will add, before you purchase a bulb variety, you need to know if it is a spring or summer bulb and when to plant that variety. Also, you need to know the hardiness like previously mentioned and also research the planting depth and spacing between bulbs of that variety. If everything works like it should, you should be able to estimate the flowering time of that bulb. In addition, know the flowering height of each bulb variety can help you on deciding on where to place the bulb in your growing area.
Bulbs can be fairly adaptable to planting soil. They like a spot that will stay moist, but is also well draining of excessive moisture. One suggested test to see if a potential planting spot is suitable is to dig a hole about a foot deep and fill with water. The next day, you come back and fill the hole with water again and see how long it takes the water to drain. If the water drains away in 8- 10 hours, the area should drain well enough to plant bulbs. Keep in mind that we are in a drought and even digging a hole is going to be difficult. This is just not a typical year.
If the spot does not drain well, you can do some adjusting on a case by case basis to improve the spot. You need a spot with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8 for bulbs to do well. A soil test can help you with liming and fertilization recommendations. If you choose to not soil test, for fertilization you can add 1 to 2 pounds of 5- 10- 10, 10- 10- 10 or 8- 8- 8 per 100 square feet of bed space. Fertilizer, lime or other amendments should be worked in the soil to a depth of 12- inches when preparing the bed for planting. Our information adds to not work the ground if it is too wet. This would not be a problem in this drought year. In most years, you would need to rub soil between your fingers and if it crumbles fairly easy, the spot is dry enough for digging and planting.
Finally, do your homework on additional care such as mulching of bulb areas. For more information contact UGA ExtensionGordon County at 706- 629- 8685 or email gbowman@uga.edu.