Perennial bulbs can add to the summer garden, picking up the slack between the early summer and early autumn flowers.
These bulbs, Liatris, Eremurus and Alliums will continue to work hard for you in the coming years.
Liatris
Liatris, commonly called blazing-star, is one of my favorite hardy summer-flowering bulbs. The tall lavender spikes add a nice vertical touch to the garden display. They survive a long time without much work on the part of the gardener. The stem is covered with grass-like leaves that become smaller as they blend in with the flowers. It makes a nice clump that fills in the border area.
Periodically, I add a few more bulbs or start them from seed in the greenhouse. If you opt to start them from seed, refrigerate the seed for six weeks before planting, or start in a cold frame. While they are a nice addition to the outdoors, they also dry well for winter arrangements.
A native American perennial, Liatris is the only perennial that I am aware of that blooms from the top of the spike down. For drying purposes, cut them when the spike is showing a third color. The spike will continue to open and show color until most of the spike has bloomed. Stand them in a vase without water for drying. For a fresh bouquet, handle them as you would any flower.
These bulbs are dark brown corms that look like a gladiolus corm, but lumpier. Like the glad, they produce cormels that will grow into bulbs and bloom in a couple of years. If you are in a hurry to increase your supply, dig and remove the cormels in the fall, replant the corm and move the cormels to a nursery bed for growing out purposes.
Cultture
They like average to rich soil, but like a well-drained site.
Eremurus
Eremurus, known as the desert candle or foxtail lily, makes its presence known in early summer when it sends up a spike of color. While listed with the bulbs, this plant has a woody root in the shape of a spider or star.
The foliage is easily mistaken for a daylily in early spring. Once the plant blooms, the foliage dies down and goes dormant.
The flower spikes come in sherbet shades of white, pink, yellow and orange. The older the plants become the large the flowering spike grows. I’ve had plants top six-feet.
Culture
They like well-drained soil. This is particularly important because they may rot and die from wet feet over the winter season. Plant them four to six-inches deep. You can try them from seed if you are patient, but it may take them upwards of five years to grow into blooming size.
Alliums
Alliums, a member of the lily (onion) family, provide a show-stopping sight in late spring and early summer. If you choose to incorporate a number of varieties of alliums, you’ll prolong their display.
These bulbs can vary from four- to six-inches in height to as much as five-feet with the A. giganteum.
Culture
General rule for planting is to set them at a depth of two to three times their diameter. The smaller bulbs may be planted as close as four to six inches apart. The larger bulbs will need as much as 12- to 18-inches.
Bulb fertilization program
To keep bulbs up to par on size they need regular fertilization to continue to perform year after year. General rule for fertilizing bulbs is to feed with a fertilizer that either has a small amount of nitrogen or one that is balanced, like 5-10-5. A lot of nitrogen isn’t necessary for top growth. Phosphate and potassium help to produce large bulbs, strong stems and flowers, which is what we want.
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