September 23, 1998

It’s time to think spring. The bulbs of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, as well as crocus, scilla and alliums need to be planted now so that they can develop a strong root system before the ground freezes.

Spring-flowering bulbs like cool moist soil in the springtime while they are leafing out, flowering, and storing food for the following year. When the weather turns hot and dry, they go dormant and during this time, they prefer dry conditions. Plant them where the soil stays wet in the summer and you will have a nice little bulb cemetery. If the bulbs are located near a downspout or in a garden that is frequently watered throughout the summer, they will rot away. This is understandable when you remember that in the wild, most bulbs are found on hillsides and mountain slopes where there is plenty of moisture in the spring, but conditions are fairly dry the rest of the year.

Size matters when it comes to bulbs. The larger the bulb, the larger the flower. You can buy a tulip bulb the size of a large plum or one the size of an olive. Bulb size is usually described by measuring the diameter of the bulb in centimeters. After harvest, bulb growers grade their bulbs according to size. Of course, the largest bulbs, which will produce the biggest flowers, command a premium price. These are usually sold by reputable bulb growers and nurseries. The smaller bulbs are prepackaged and wholesaled to discounters and chain stores. The tiny little bulblets remaining are what you get for free from those mail order outfits that advertise in the Sunday magazines. They’re not worth planting because it will take them several years to reach flowering size, if they live that long. Don’t be misled by words like "topsize". If the size of the bulb is not quoted in actual numbers, there’s probably a reason. Remember, too, that size varies with the type of bulb. A tulip bulb is naturally larger than that of a grape hyacinth.

I’ll talk about daffodils and tulips another time. Suffice it to say that you should plant them now. This is also the time to plant the more uncommon bulbs that add grace and quiet beauty to the flower border in late spring and early summer. Some of my favorites are the alliums, of which there are more than 400 species. The common onion, leek, garlic, chive, and shallot are all alliums and members of the Amaryllis family. Isn’t it a small world?

Several ornamental alliums are worthy of a garden home. Most folks are familiar with Allium giganteum, or Giant Onion. Its blossoms are lilac-pink globes 6 inches across, each standing on sturdy 3 or 4 foot stalks, and composed of hundreds of tiny flowers. These blooms make eye-catching focal points in the early summer garden. When the flowers and stems fade and dry, they turn to a light tan, becoming a garden sculpture.

Allium albopilosum (christophii), Star of Persia, produces huge 10 inch globes comprised of large star-shaped, metallic blue-purple florets in late May. Imagine one of those old-fashioned Christmas tree ornaments made by pinning metal stars to a Styrofoam ball. Now imagine it without the ball. That’s what these blooms resemble. This spectacular flower attracted a lot of attention in our gardens this past spring. It is one of the largest flowers of the alliums.

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ is a vivid flower with purple globes made of hundreds of tiny star-shaped flowers atop 2 to 3 foot stems. The flowers appear in late May or June.