Bulbs
In the radiance of autumnal foliage , with the first crisp mornings and faint wisps of frost , a gardener ’s thoughts often ferment to — spring and summer . Across the country , thousands of medulla are being pop into the ground in anticipation of a glorious presentation next year . This is an enactment of faith , the works lover ’s edition of delayed gratification .
The most familiar “ medulla oblongata ” are those iconic plants liketulips , Narcissus pseudonarcissus , dahlias , lily , andgladioli . There are a host of less - conversant options , include heirloom varieties . Everyone has their favorites , and here is a selection of personal pick that might be more or less off the mainstream .
Photo by : Rob Cardillo .
1 . Lady tulip ( Tulipa clusiana‘Lady Jane ’ )
bloom : Red and ashen ( spring)Height / Spread : 10–14”/6–8"Zones : 3–9 ( Zone 10 on the West Coast )
2 . Hardy Japanese orchidaceous plant ( Calanthe discolor )
Blooms : Purple - dark-brown and blanched ( spring)Height / Spread : 10–12”/10–12”Zones : 6–9
3 . Snake ’s headspring flag ( Hermodactylus tuberosus )
Blooms : fatal - purple and yellow - gullible ( spring)Height / Spread : 6–8”/6–8”Zones : 6–8
photograph by : Chelsea Pomales .
4 . trivial white soldiers ( Drimiopsis maculata )
Blooms : White ( spring)Height / Spread : 8–12”/10–12 ” clumpsZones : 7–9
5 . Sicilian honey ail ( Nectaroscordum siculum )
bloom : Rose , cream , and gullible ( late spring / early summer)Height / Spread : 3’/1’Zones : 4–8
picture by : Courtesy Plant Delights Nursery .
6 . ruddy or fictive freesia ( Freesia laxa , syn . Anomatheca laxa )
flush : Red ( late spring / former summer)Height / Spread : 8–12”/6–8”Zones : 7–10
Photo by : Doreen Wynja .
7 . Pretty face ( Triteleia ixioides‘Starlight ’ )
flower : Creamy yellow ( late spring / early summer)Height / Spread : 12–20”/8–10”Zones : 5–9
8 . Ithuriel ’s fishgig ( Triteleia laxa‘Rudy ’ )
rosiness : White and royal ( belated bounce / early summer)Height / Spread : 15–24”/8–10”Zones : 6–9
9 . Camas ( Camassia leichtliniissp.suksdorfii‘Blue Danube ’ )
Blooms : downcast or white ( tardy spring / early summer)Height / Spread : 3’/1’Zones : 4–8
10 . Firecracker flower ( Dichelostemma ida - maia )
Blooms : crimson and sensationalistic - unripened ( late spring / mid - summer)Height / Spread : 18–24”/15–20”Zones : 6–9
11 . ‘ Atom ’ gladiolus ( Gladiolus‘Atom ’ )
grease one’s palms now on Amazon
A small glad with giant impact , the scarlet flowers are half the sizing of florist gladiolus blooms and delicately edged with silverish bloodless . Its narrow figure and short height , 2 to 3 feet at most , make it well-fixed to retrieve a smirch for ‘ Atom ’ in the border , and its hot color is strengthen down by the frosty lip . This peach has been popular since its introduction in 1946 , and it ’s a attractive feature for hummingbirds . Dramatic fellow traveller would be empurpled and blue heyday : Salvia , Nepeta , Verbena . Or plants with argent leafage : Artemisia , Stachys . As with all glad , ‘ Atom ’ is a superb cut blossom too .
heyday : Red with livid edge ( other summer)Height / Spread : 2–3’/1’Zones : 6–10
See moregladiolus flower .
12 . Byzantine gladiolus ( glad communisssp.byzantinus )
blooming : Magenta ( former summer)Height / Spread : 2’/1’Zones : 6–9 ( Zone 10 on the West Coast )
13 . Dutch iris ( Irisxhollandica‘Eye of the Tiger ’ )
Blooms : Violet - blue and bronze ( summer)Height / Spread : 2’/6”Zones : 6–9
Photo by : Richard Bloom .
14 . Pineapple lily ( Eucomisspp . )
feature of speech upright pinkish - purple bloom spikes heighten by deep burgundy foliage that hold its dark semblance well into summertime . Although tiresome to emerge in spring , once it blooms in late summer , flowers last for weeks .
Blooms : Purple , pinkish , yellow , or white , with some variety having bicolored blooms ( summer)Height / Spread : 1 to 3 base tall , 2 to 4 human foot wideZones : 7 - 10 , some hardy to Zone 6
depict : coronate Glory ™ ' Purple Reign ' — bribe now from Proven success
Photo by : Marianne Majerus .
15 . Nodding onion ( Allium cernuum )
Blooms : Pink ( summer)Height / Spread : 8–12”/6–10”Zones : 4–8
16 . ‘ Boone ’ gladiola ( Gladiolusxgandavensis‘Boone ’ )
blossom : Apricot and chicken ( midsummer)Height / Spread : 3–4’/1’Zones : 5–9
17 . Spider lily ( Lycoris radiata )
I first met this bulb while I worked at Cheekwood Botanical Garden in Nashville . Its sparklers of coral - ruby-red blooms popped up in the wildflower garden in the prosperous glow of early autumn . The round of wanderer lily seems counter intuitive : peak in early fall , followed by strappy leaf that crouch down during winter , die back to dormancy in springiness . In some locales severe common cold can snip off the leave-taking , making it wise to place spider lily in a protect location . Chris Wiesinger calls this a “ signal ” plant life , telling him it ’s time to found spring - blooming medulla .
Blooms : Red ( late summertime / early fall)Height / Spread : 1–2’/1’Zones : 5–10
18 . Formosa lily ( genus Lilium formosanum )
flush : White ( previous summer / former fall)Height / Spread : 5–7’/1’Zones : 6b–9 ( geographical zone 10 on the West Coast )
For more bulb to plant in fall , see:20 Spring - Flowering Bulbs to mature
Sources for bulbs:
For selective information about how to plant & hive away bulbs , seeBulbs 101
Get morespring garden ideas
