Gardening If you’re tucking in spring bulbs before taking off for your winter locations, give some thought to where they will give their best repeat performance. Smaller spring-blooming bulbs such as crocus, scilla and snowdrops will accept almost any soil location (including in grass lawns) and you can expect several years of repeat performance. Tulip and narcissus bulbs are more particular about their soil requirements, wanting a location that is wet in spring and then dry through summer. When tulips and narcissus bulbs are planted into soil that is irrigated in summer, they will be inclined to rot and offer short potential for repeat appearance in subsequent years. Finding a suitable location for tulips and daffodils requires only pairing themwith a leafy companion like any of the large spreading hostas (hardy to zone 3). The soil surrounding the plant’s crown is moist in spring before leaves emerge; but dry through summer, when hosta foliage shields the surrounding soil from excessive rain and irrigation. That is an ideal circumstance for spring bulbs, protecting them from rot and encouraging repeat performance in future years. Selecting a large hosta with broad leaves will provide sufficient room under its skirts for a dozen or more bulbs in each location. Many new hostas have been bred not only for size, but also for foliage and flower colour. Among them are ‘Wide Brim’ with deeply veined leaves, wide creamy-yellow margins and mauve lily-like flowers; ‘Aphrodite’ with smooth shiny green leaves and scented white flowers with double petals in August; and deepblue ‘Halcyon’ with thickly textured dimpled leaves that are slug resistant. Make a job of doing the preparation and planting all at one time this fall. With the bulbs on hand, note how far out the leaves reach from each hosta crown; then cut the foliage back and plant your bulbs in the sheltered space which the foliage has covered. As a final tip – for many years of repeat tulip bulb performance, try to buy Darwin tulips.The Darwin tulips bloom inmid- to lateMay and are one of several tulip classifications. Darwins are tall tulips with large flower heads, and are available inmany colours. When planted in wet spring and dry summer soil locations, they have an enhanced ability to continue producing spring flowers for decades. I purchased my home in the spring of 1986 with red Darwin tulips blooming at the foot of a birch tree, and those same tulips have been in flower every spring since then. That’s a successful test of time! We Deliver! Wintering in Florida, Arizona or California? By Individual Driver Door to Door or Truck For more information about our services call: We pick up your vehicle from your doorstep and deliver it to your winter destination… and get it safely back home when you’re ready. www.torontodriveaway.com The Premier Driveaway Service in North America! I n t e g r I t y • h o n e s t y • c o u r t e s y 416-225-7754 Toronto Drive-Away Service Nationwide Inc. TrusTed since 1959 Getting the best returns from spring bulbs Hostas CSANews | FALL 2018 | 53
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