Loudoun County Master Gardeners

Bulb Bed     photo from 2006                                                                                                        Back

Bulb bed 

This bed is dedicated to bulbous plants - those species which produce fleshy storage organs.  This includes true bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes, and tuberous roots.

While the most popular bulbs - narcissus, tulip, crocus and hyacinth - add color to our spring gardens, there are hundreds of bulbous plants, which, when carefully selected can provide color to your garden year around.

This bulb garden was renovated in September, 2005 with the goal of producing blooms 10-12 months a year.

Rhizomes

Rhizomes grow horizontally just below the surface.  Roots develop on the underside and during the growing season, foliage and flowers sprout from the top. 

Most rhizomes are easy to propagate because the long branching rhizome can be cut into segments for planting as long as each piece has roots and at least one bud. 

This bed contains:

Agapanthus  Canna            Corydalis Polianthes           
Bearded iris   Convallaria        Eremurus Trillium    

Corms  

A corm is a stem that is round and flat.  Foliage and flowers grow from buds on the stem.  The top of the corm has one or two growing points or eyes.  Roots grow from the bottom. 

As the plant grows, the corm shrivels away.  New corms form on top of or beside the old one.  Some corms such as gladiolus form cormels or tiny corms.  Large corms produce flowers the following year but it may take 2-3 years for cormels to produce flowers. 

This bed contains:

Colchicum        Crocosmia           Freesia            Ixia                   Sparaxis
Crocus             Erythronium        Gladiolus          Liatris             Triteleia

Tubers  

Tubers have different shapes:  some are round and flat, others are odd-shaped and rough. 

Roots and shoots grow from “eyes” just like a potato.

This bed contains: 

Alocasia                Arisaema  Begonia    Colocasia Gloriosa   Peony
Anemone  Arum     Caladium Cyclamen           Hardy Geranium

Tuberous Roots

Tuberous roots look like tubers but are really swollen roots that absorb water and nutrients from the soil.  They can be propagated by cutting off individual storage roots with a bud-bearing section at the top.

This bed contains:

Belamcanda           Dahlia                  Incarvillea Oxalis
Clivia                    Hemerocallis         Mirabilis Ranunculus

True Bulbs  

A true bulb has fleshy scales that store food.  Roots emerge from the bottom and they come in all shapes and sizes.  During growth, new bulbs form around the bottom of the bulb. 

This bed contains: 

Allium           Daffodils       Galanthus     Ipheion             Muscari Tulbaghia
Bessera         Fritillaria      Hippeastrum     Iris                    Oxalis Tulips
Camassia      Galtonia            Hyacinth           Lilies                Scilla

For more information see 1, 2, 3

Books: The Bulb Expert, Dr. D. G. Hessayon ISBN 0-903505-42-8

All About Bulbs, Ortho Books ISBN 0-89721-072-7

 

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