Page 12 - Small Shops of Sonoma County 2017

LIVE Beauty ~ Gifts of Flowering Bulbs
By Savita Wilder
Nature creates the best gifts! Fall-planted bulbs are now available in our
loccal nurseries*, and there are many ways to plant and gift them. Here are 3 easy and lovely ways.
POT FULL OF LAYERED BULBS--or as the Dutch say, “ bulb lasagne”. This can be done simply in a small pot that has space for 2 or 3 layers, or in a large pot with space for 5 or 6 layers. Additionally, one can also apply this layering principal to a garden plot for a riot of spring color. Here are a few keys:
1) USE GOOD SOIL, as the bulbs will be sharing the nutrients. Any good gardening soil mix will do, or add compost to your current soil. Choose a pot with drain holes.
2) LAYER ACCORDING TO THE
BULB SIZE Place the larger bulbs
deep toward the bottom of the
bowl. e.g. daffodils or paperwhite
narcissus or large alliums, about 6
inches deep. Add a couple inches
of soil, and arrange the next layer.
e.g. dutch iris or small alliums.
Progress upwards in this fashion e.g. next might be muscaris, often called grape hyacinths. The top layer of small bulbs will sit just under the surface of the soil e.g. wild or species tulips with some crocus and anemones.
3) Your full pot may be placed outside where the bulbs receive rain and sunshine.
AMARYLLIS This is actually a nickname for HIPPEASTRUMS. Oh such astrounding beauty! What a joy to watch the flower stems grow (sometimes an inch each day) and open up gorgeous blossom after blossom. So many different colors and shapes are now available. Some of us become Hippeastrum addicts when we discover that not only are they easy to grow inside the home, but the flowers open up in sequence and last for weeks and weeks in all their beauty.
The Amaryllis bulbs that have been grown in South Africa where their autumn is our spring, can be planted in early November for Holiday bloom. The bulbs of Dutch Amaryllis will take much longer to bloom, and each variety has its own natural schedule.
A suberb gift is a big Amaryllis bulb in a lovely bag or box, with growing instructions. The basic instructions are easy--what they need is a beautiful container, maximum
amount of light through a window and the warmth of the house. That’s it. The bigger the bulb the more flower stems will emerge. There is even a “giant” bulb which will push up
4 stems in sequence, each with 4 or 5 flowers. That is amazing beauty.
12 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - SS 12/17
*www.SonomaCountyNurseries.com for locally-owned nurseries
“Easy to Grow” bulbs, a reliable distributor in Southern California, has an excellent web site filled with information. Here in Sonoma County, Savita Wilder carries 20 different Amaryllis varieties and is eager to share her enthusiasm about growing Amaryllis. Email Savita at bulbbliss.gmail.com for info.