Overview

Flower bulbs offer gardeners an easy, economical way of producing a vibrant flower garden. Bulb flowers come in a vast array of colors, sizes and flowering periods. Gardeners often plant bulbs in intervals to obtain continuous blossoms throughout the spring and fall seasons. Even when the blooms have faded, these plants accentuate flowerbeds or containers with their showy foliage. Bulbs provided with satisfactory growing conditions will fervently blossom year after year.

History

Flower bulbs cultivated for commercial purposes began in the late 16th century in Haarlem, a municipality in the Netherlands. Haarlem, however, is not the place of their origin. Tulip bulbs came from central Asia, and dahlias originated in Mexico. The amaryllis bulb originated in South America, while freesias and calla lilies hailed from South Africa. When these bulbs were brought to Haarlem, their marketing value was quickly recognized. Thus, they became popular throughout Haarlem and surrounding regions. Today, flower bulb production continues to be an important, profitable industry in the Netherlands.

Types of Bulbs

Bulbs are divided into two general categories: Spring-flowering bulbs should be planted in the fall since root development is stimulated through the dormant period of frigid temperatures. These bulbs must be in the ground before the first heavy frost, be exposed to full or partial sun and be planted in locations that have good drainage. Spring-flowering bulbs include tulips and daffodils. Summer and fall-flowering bulbs are planted in late spring. These flowers do well in borders, rock gardens, ground covers, containers and hanging baskets but cannot survive winter temperatures. Bulbs dug up each fall should be stored in a cool location until planting time. Lilies, colchicums and saffron crocuses are examples of this type of bulb.

Identification

“Bulb” is a common term referring to the fleshy storage system of plants that grow from underground. In reality, not all of these storage systems are bulbs. All flowers grown in such manner are not grown from bulbs. Some plants, such as the cannas, are grown from rhizomes. Gladioli are grown from corms. Dahlias are produced from tuberous roots. Corms are shorter and rounder than bulbs and usually have a flat top and a concave bottom. Rhizomes are plants with a root-like stem and tuberous roots are just that–roots.
Conditions for Growing

For a bulb plant to develop properly and produce every spring, it must be given a proper growing environment. Bulbs should be planted in an area where they can remain undisturbed through cold winter temperatures. Poor soil can be fortified with organic matter. Mulching the ground can help protect the plants from heaving–uprooting that can occur through continuous freezing and thawing of the ground. All foliage should remain on established plants after spring or fall blooms have faded. This enables the plants to replenish food supplies through photosynthesis. When this process is complete, foliage will die back naturally. Dried plants can be removed when foliage has died back completely.

Reproduction of Plants

Some bulbous plants produce seeds that can be germinated and grown into flowering plants. This method of propagation is not as popular as propagation by division. Propagation by division is, in most cases, easier, and flower color and type can be predicted. New bulbs develop quickly in the spring. These young bulbs are closely attached at the bottom of the mature bulb. Separation must take place for the mature bulb to continue to produce proficient plants and blooms.

Garden Guides

To make your patio just the way you want it to suit your particular needs and desires, take some time to learn all the various options. Outdoor patio ideas are easy to find and easy to come up with on your own.

Before searching for patio decorating ideas, take stock of the area you have available for your patio. Then keep this in mind when looking at ideas and think in terms of how they will work for the area you have.

It can be helpful to draw up a sketch of the area with at least an approximate footage and have this with you when you are looking at outdoor patio ideas, whether it is driving around your neighborhood or looking online.

VISIT OUTDOOR PATIO IDEAS

Soilless gardening is simply growing plants without the use of garden soil. This type of gardening is also referred to as hydroponic or aeroponic gardening. When plants are grown by of soilless gardening techniques, the roots of plants don’t exert all of their energy trying to search for required nutrients as is the case when gardening with dirt. Instead, these roots are given a constant supply of nutrient solution, resulting in smaller root systems and more abundant plant growth.

Maintaining a Soilless Gardening Environment

With soilless gardening, you have the ability to control all of the influencing factors associated with plant growth including light, temperature, etc. In the soilless gardening environment all of these important elements are easily maintained as opposed to regular gardening using soil. For instance, you choose the type of light and how much is appropriate. You designate suitable temperature settings as well as proper humidity and pH levels. Soilless gardening is easier to manage and much less time consuming.

The implementation of hydroponic fertilizer keeps plant growth healthy and vigorous. Plants can be given a growing medium such as gravel, sand, perlite, or even air; however, this is not a factor in the aiding of growth. It is merely an anchor for the plant.

The continual supply of nutrient solution is what produces healthier growth. The aeroponic method of soilless gardening does not involve using a growing medium. Instead, the solution is sprayed directly onto the roots of hanging plants. An additional bonus to soilless gardening is the fact that there are no weeds, no pests, and no soil-borne diseases to worry with.

There are several methods that can be used in soilless gardening. One of the simplest includes the passive technique where you determine when and how to water the plants. For instance, the ‘wick’ method is a form of passive soilless gardening in which the plants are housed in Styrofoam trays that float on top of the nutrient solution.

The roots of these plants simply soak up this solution as needed. Other soilless gardening techniques include the use of pumps and/or timers. The flood and drain method, for example, involves the flooding of individual pots or growing trays with nutrient solution which is then drained back into a designated reservoir.

What Types of Plants can be grown?

Nearly any type of plant, from garden vegetables and fruits to herbs and a variety of flowers, can be grown using soilless gardening methods.   Soilless gardening is an easy, effective alternative for growing plants without the use of soil, providing healthier, high-quality plants and yielding greater harvest results.

Gardening Ideas Org

Hot Compost. Composting is nature’s way of recycling and hot composting is a method of accelerating the process by regularly digging through, or turning, the decaying matter.

1. Step 2: Start a compost batch

   Collect any organic material laying around your garden. Dig up spoiled or dead vegetables and shake off excess soil. Pull up weeds and add to the pile. Perennial plants, like bine weed, must have their roots torn off and discarded, otherwise they will regrow in the compost.

   Break up any woody plants into pieces. The smaller the particles, the quicker the composting process.

   Add fallen leaves, grass cuttings, twigs and any other unwanted organic matter. The bigger the variety in composting ingredients, the better the quality of the final compost. Collect both ‘brown’ and ‘green’ vegetation, the brown is carbon heavy while the green is nitrogen heavy, a good compost needs a mix of both.

   WARNING
   If you have been using a fungicide or pesticide on your lawn do not add the grass cuttings to the composting pile. The treatments will cause the essential organisms which aid the decomposing process to die.

   Take your collected pile to the composting bins

2. Step 3: Layer

   Fork the material into an empty bin. If you feel the material is too dry add in a layer of grass cuttings for moisture.

   TOP TIP
   If you have a second batch of compost that has already began to decompose, add a layer to the top of your new batch. This will weigh down the fresh matter and speed up the process.

3. Step 4: Cover

   Use an old piece of carpet to cover the compost pile. Place pieces of wood or some bricks on top to weigh it down. This seals in the heat and humidity, aiding the decomposing process.

4. Step 5: Leave to decay

   Leave the compost to rot for about a month, the pile will compress and shrink as it decays.

   Check occasionally to see if it’s too wet or too dry. If it is too wet add some green vegetation, and if it is too dry add brown. The ideal consistency should feel damp but not produce water when squeezed.

5. Step 6: Turn the compost

   After a month’s time remove the covers and combine the contents of two of the bins. Pull out any branches or matter that hasn’t rotted and discard. Turning it like this allows air get into the layers, helping the microbes break down the compost – this process is called aeration. As you dig further down into the bin you will get to the better, decomposed matter. Layer this on top, it’s weight and moisture will seep down into the fresher layers and speed up decaying process.

   Cover as beforehand leave to decay. Turn once every month

6. Step 7: Finished compost

   In 3 or 4 months time the compost with have become a dark brown, crumbly rich fertiliser.

There are 9 species of the Echinacea flower. They are native to the South and Southeastern parts of the United States and grow really well in hot dry climates; doing better in direct sunlight, with little water, rather than shade.

The 9 species include:

* Echinacea angustifolia – Narrow-leaf Coneflower
* Echinacea atrorubens – Topeka Purple Coneflower
* Echinacea laevigata – Smooth Coneflower, Smooth Purple Coneflower
* Echinacea pallida – Pale Purple Coneflower
* Echinacea paradoxa – Yellow Coneflower, Bush’s Purple Coneflower
* Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower, Eastern Purple Coneflower
* Echinacea sanguinea – Sanguine purple Coneflower
* Echinacea simulata – Wavyleaf Purple Coneflower
* Echinacea tennesseensis – Tennessee Coneflower

As you can see from the photos, the Echinacea has several different colors to chose from, with a really long blooming period. They also grow to be between 2-4 feet tall.

Some people also believe that the flowers have healing properties.