home extranet
Bulbs that Naturalize
Actually, most bulbs are, by definition, perennials. But not all will come back readily year after year in every setting. Soil, climatic and other conditions all play a part in determining which bulbs will be the best repeat performers in any given environment.
Here's a sampling of top-performing bulbs that can be counted upon to perennialize -- and, if happy where you plant them, will most likely naturalize, too, to come back to bloom for years.
Narcissus 'Salome'
N. Salome is undoubtedly one the finest large-cupped daffodils ever. It
combines grace and beauty with an exceptionally rugged demeanor in the garden.
'Salome's flower is creamy white with a center cup (corona) that opens
peachy-yellow and matures to soft apricot. Like most good naturalizers, its
leaves remain green for six weeks or more after bloom to provide the bulb with
plenty of nutritional reserves. These reserves help to "recharge" the bulbs so
they can readily multiply and flower again in subsequent years.
'Salome' has a large, eye-catching flower that stands out in the garden or landscape and makes an excellent cut flower. It has been commercially grown since 1958 and will naturalize in USDA zones 4-8.
Classification: large-cupped
Flowering period: late mid-spring
Average plant height: 16-18 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 8-10 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 2-3 inches
Light requirements: full sun to partial shade
Best uses: in borders, landscape plantings and in larger containers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narcissus 'Ice Follies'
N. 'Ice Follies' was developed more than half a century ago in
Noordwijk, a small Dutch coastal town nestled in the windswept dunes which hold
off the waters of the North Sea. A favorite in this rugged setting, 'Ice
Follies' has proved to be one of the all-time great naturalizers around the
globe. If comfortable in a site, 'Ice Follies' can settle in for decades of
bloom, multiplying to its hearts content and yours! It has "staying power." Its
flowers are long-lasting and huge up to four inches across with icy-white petals
and a center cup noted for changing colors as it matures. Its flat, frilled cup
opens decidedly yellow then steadily evolves to pure white. Wind and rain are no
problem for these sturdy performers, which are perfect for perennial gardens and
landscapes that beg for an early burst of spring color.
'Ice Follies' stems often produce more than one flower. It will naturalize in USDA zones 4-9.
Classification: large-cupped
Flowering period: early mid-spring
Average plant height: 16-18 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 8-10 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 2-3 inches
Light requirements: full sun to partial shade
Best uses: open areas, borders, and large containers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tulipa 'Orange Emperor'
This is the tulip that Oprah Winfrey once declared her favorite. A colorful
early-bloomer that kicks off the early spring season in glorious style, 'Orange
Emperor' has a large, luminous, carrot-orange flower flushed with blushes of
chartreuse. Emperor tulips, classified as Fosteriana tulips, are prized for
their huge flowers and ability to handle exposed, windy locations. Try them in
massed drifts in the landscape. 'Orange Emperor' will perennialize in USDA zones
4-8.
Classification: Fosteriana tulip
Flowering period: early spring
Average plant height: 14-18 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 8-10 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 2-3 inches
Light requirements: full sun to partial shade
Best uses: plant with other early-season bloomers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tulipa tarda
T. tarda, first cultivated commercially in 1590, looks just as Mother
Nature introduced her. A top all-around performer, this diminutive species tulip
has bunches of elegant star-shaped flowers with chrome-yellow petals edged in
bright white. It begs to be planted in large groups, but even five to ten bulbs
put on quite a springtime show. Plant T. tarda in those tight spots, where
little else will grow, as a perennial springtime groundcover along narrow edges,
among rocks and in combination with other perennials with a low to medium height
profile. A great perennializer in USDA zones 4-8, it also is one of the tulips
that can be grown in warmer climates, USDA zones 9-10.
Classification: species tulip
Flowering period: late spring
Average plant height: 6 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 5 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 1-2 inches
Light requirements: partial shade
Best uses: colorful late spring 'groundcover' in rock gardens, borders,
perennial gardens and embankments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant'
Once the corms of 'Ruby Giant' have established themselves, their cuplike
reddish-purple flowers on short sturdy stems emerge year after year in seemingly
infinite numbers. Because they are less than four inches tall, these species
crocuses remain less affected by the wind and rain than many of their fellow
crocuses. They will also thrive among roses as well as other woody plants.
Scatter the bulbs and plant them where they fall. They naturalize and multiply
readily in USDA zones 4-8. A bonus: squirrel-resistance!
Classification: botanical crocus
Flowering period: late winter early spring
Average plant height: 3-4 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 5 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 1 inch
Light requirements: full sun to partial shade
Best uses: in lawns or near woody plants, shrubs and trees.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crocus vernus 'Jeanne d'Arc'
'Jeanne d'Arc' is a large-flowered species crocus with snow-white flowers that
open to reveal a small purplish-base and bright orange pistil. This vigorous
little bulb grows well in lawns and looks beautiful when mixed with other
large-flowered crocus in stripes or bright colors. At the Keukenhof, Holland's
famous show garden, Crocus vernus is often planted in layers with later-blooming
daffodils or tulips. This "double decker" technique is a practical solution for
those with limited garden space. Crocus vernus will naturalize in USDA zones
4-8.
Classification: species crocus, commonly called Dutch or large-flowered
crocus
Flowering period: late winter early spring
Average plant height: 6 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 5 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 1 inch
Light requirements: full sun to partial shade
Best uses: layered plantings with contrasting early bloomers of deep color. Also
naturalized in lawns.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Camassia cusickii
Native to marshy meadows of northwestern North America, Camassia cusickii
(a.k.a. Quamash) was catalogued in 1888 but has only been commercially available
to gardeners for the past thirty years. Camassia cusickii has
attractive strappy foliage surrounding a tall upright stalk. The flower racemes
ride high on the stalk -- they seem to float above the plant. Each flower is a
delicious pale ice-blue with recurved airy petals and golden pistils. Blooming
in early summer, C. cusickii fills a gap between the spring and summer
garden seasons. Plant in moist locations. With just seven to ten bulbs, you can
make a fairly significant visual impact in an average-sized garden or border. Or
plant dozens! Camassia naturalizes in USDA zones 5-7.
Family: Liliaceae
Common names: edible camassia and Indian quamash
Flowering period: early summer
Average plant height: 24-32 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 6 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 8 inches
Light requirements: full sun to partial shade
Best uses: beds, borders, and waterside applications.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leucojum aestivum
Also known as summer snowflake, the milky-white, bell-shaped flowers of Leucojum
aestivum bloom as the spring bloom season comes to an end. In cultivation since
1594, its pendulous flowers are reminiscent of Galanthus, but have six petals of
equal length with yellow-green dots at the tips (Galanthus has three long and
three short petals). Leucojum will flower over a long period if planted in
clusters and in areas protected from harsh late spring sun. They prefer a moist
habitat and will naturalize in U.S.D.A. zones 4-9. A bonus: they are
pest-resistant.
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Common Name: summer (or meadow) snowflake
Flowering period: late spring
Average plant height: 16 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 4 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 4 inch
Light requirements: partial shade
Best uses: near ponds and other areas where the soil remains moist.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades'
Daisy-flowered Anemone blanda are fancied for their early, abundant flowering
and crisp jolly presence in the garden. In massed plantings, they form a
colorful carpet especially under taller woody plants, shrubs and trees that are
still bare when anemones bloom. This long-blooming charmer combines nicely with
early bulb flowers and the emerging foliage of later-flowering plants.
Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades' has large daisy-like blue flowers with
yellow centers each planting a mix of many different blues. It thrives in the
garden bed or in pots and containers and will naturalize in USDA zones 4-8.
Family: Ranunculaceae
Common Name: Greek windflower, Greek anemone
Flowering period: early spring
Average plant height: 6 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 2 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 2 inches
Light requirements: full sun or partial shade
Best uses: under shrubs, in rock gardens, in beds and borders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scilla siberica
For exuberant waves of blue to enliven the spring garden, gardeners have turned
to Scilla siberica, possibly the best blue naturalizing bulb around,
since 1796. Plant in small clumps for short bursts of electric color, in mass
plantings for a blue carpet effect, or in double-decker layers to complement
taller tulips or daffodils. Each scilla bulb produces 3 or 4 short stems, each
bearing three to five starry bell-shaped nodding blue flowers. One of the most
winter hardy of the small bulbs, Scilla siberica tolerates shade, plus
squirrels and other pests don't like them. They're so tough it's hard to believe
they can look so deceptively delicate in the garden. Scilla naturalize in USDA
Zones 4- 8.
Family: Liliaceae
Common name: Siberian squill, wood squill
Flowering period: early spring
Average plant height: 6 inches Planting depth to base of bulb: 4 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 4 inches
Light requirements: full sun to shade
Best uses: borders, rock gardens, and under trees and shrubs as early spring
color, in companion-plantings (double-decker plantings).
