There are so many summer bulbs available today, that it makes it impossible to choose from them or to actually opt for not having any of them at all.
Today’s column is about bulbs that are too tender to be left outside to winter over. While I might love to have a swathe of these bulbs four-feet-deep and ten-feet-long in the summer garden, I know I don’t have the energy to dig and plant them. I also don’t have storage space for that many.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy them in a smaller quantity and so can you.
Agapanthus
I have a pot of Agapanthus, known as Lily of the Nile, which is ten years old. I first saw these blue, star-shaped umbel flowers blooming in southern California and had to have some. Hardy to USDA Zone 8, I decided to plant them in a pot to sit on the steps that lead off the deck.
To winter them over, I move them into the greenhouse and place them on the floor under a bench. They stay slightly moist there during the winter, they are out of direct sun and the floor is cool during that season in my heated greenhouse. If you have a heated garage, about 40° F., or an unheated, semi-dark room in the house, you too can winter them over.
I’m just about ready to repot the Lily of the Nile. Agapanthus bulbs like to be tight in a pot to bloom. I planted three bulbs in a 12-inch pot. The bloom looked a bit skimpy the first year, but it has improved over time. If planting them in the garden, it is recommended to plant them 24-inches apart. But like all container plantings, I think they look better if cozy.
The great thing about planting summer tender bulbs with this method is that I can move container into a dramatic spot for the blooming season and then set them to the back where they can grow out.
Zantedeschia
Zantedeschia, called Calla Lily by most gardeners, is another favorite for pot culture. These come in a variety of colors. The trumpet shaped spathe has a flared lip with a spadix, a finger like stalk, which holds the true flowers of the bulb.
This bulb is also hardy to USDA Zone 8.
Callas
Callas like damp feet and can be planted at the edge of your pond.
They bloom about two months after planting. They are tender and can’t tolerate frost. You could start them indoors like a dahlia for planting out or as a pot specimen. Each rhizome should be planted in a six-inch pot with the growing tip at soil level.
Zephyranthes
Zephyranthes, Zepher Lily, is a free flowering bulb. I received a package of them as a thank you for a catalog order five years ago. Hardy to USDA Zone 7-9, depending on the variety, they make a terrific pot plant. These six-petaled flowers tend to bloom over a long season for me. They like a lot of sunshine.
Culture
I store these as I do the Lily of the Nile and Callas. Zepher lilies like to be slightly damp, so if storing in a heated garage check on them once a month for dampness.
Because all of these bulbs are on the deck, I feed them once a week with a fertilizer that has a large phosphate and moderate potassium content and little or no nitrogen over the summer.
I move them inside before a killing frost, quit the fertilization program, and let the plants die back for the winter.
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