Summer Bulbs Brighten the Garden

“I used to think that tuberous begonias were plants that only old people grew,” wrote Anne Raver a few years ago in The New York Times. She and many, many other people are in increasing numbers discovering the delights of summer blooming bulbs.

Okay, botanically begonias arise not from bulbs but tubers. But gardeners lump under the heading of various below ground storage organs true bulbs and the aforesaid tubers along with rhizomes and corms. So if you want to get technical you can well, like it or lump it. Many are the offerings to be discovered in garden centres these days. Even big box emporiums are seeing the light and stocking bulbs along with discount dollar stores. And let us not forget catalogues galore offering to mail us their offerings. Unfortunately their shipping prices frequently come almost as expensive as the bulbs themselves . . .

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Those gardeners dedicated to the search for something new, different and/or interesting will doubtlessly already by familiar with such seasonal offerings as caladiums, cannas, eremurus (foxtail lily), eucomis (pineapple lily), and sparaxis (wand flower). Caladiums are grown for their colourful foliage, and cannas for both foliage and flowers, others offer blooms for but a few days, maybe a couple of weeks if we’re lucky. Lilies may not be much better but planting a selection of different forms and varieties can prolong the often-scented display considerably. Asian lilies, despite the name, arose from the hybridization efforts of famed Oregon lily specialist Jan de Graaf in the 1950s. They bear masses of mostly pastel-coloured blooms on shorter, sturdy stems but, alas, lack scent. This latter, however, is a feature of the Oriental hybrids, which usually feature white and pink flowers on taller stems. These have recently been crossed with the Trumpet lilies to produce still more hybrids, unromantically referred to as OTs or, somewhat clumsily, Orienpets. They, too, have retained their parent’s perfume. These and other crosses account for some 7,000 varieties so there is plenty to choose from but none – repeat none – bear any relation to Hemerocallis, the all pervasive daylilies beloved of low maintenance practitioners. Lilies are often offered for sale at local stores and garden centres already in bloom. These are usually Asiatics and may be planted in full sun wherever the soil is rich, well drained and likely to remain undisturbed. Nip off the dead blooms but leave the foliage to die back naturally. They will return in future seasons and multiple. Unsold Easter lilies, Lilium longiflorum, linger on after that festival. Wait until stores are about to throw them out, then take home and plant, again leaving the foliage to die back. They are reliably hardy in southern Ontario and southwest B.C., perhaps elsewhere in the country. As poet William Blake observed:

The modest rose puts forth a thorn, The humble sheep a threat’ning horn; While the Lily white shall in love delight, Nor a thorn, nor a threat, stain her beauty bright.

Alas, not everybody can tolerate lilies. Their pollen can blind, paralyze or kill cats, at least if brought indoors. And the unfortunate Reverend Ian Gobev, vicar of Westbury on Severn, near Gloucester in western England, was forced into early retirement recently, aged 64, unable to conduct funeral services thanks to an allergy to the lilies often used in floral tributes on coffins. But back to Anne Raver: What better bulb for Canadian gardeners than the begonia, commemorating Michael Begon (1638-1710) a governor of colonial Quebec under French rule. There are well over a thousand species of these tropical and semi-tropical perennial herbs, shrubs and climbers, some of them very extensively hybridized to the benefit of horticulture. One such is the tuberous begonia, a gift of the gods to shade bedeviled urban gardeners. Partial to full shade are the order of the day for these highly hybridized beauties. And while they prefer a somewhat organic soil it must never become either waterlogged or bone dry. Upright forms do best as bedding plants, close to a well-used walkway or entrance where their spectacular beauty can best be appreciated. Pendulous selections are better suited flowing out of hanging baskets, window boxes or the edges of large planters. In common with all begonias, these that originated from South America are prone to mildew disease if their foliage is too frequently wetted. Avoid splashing when watering by hand as in containers, limit sprinklers to the early morning hours and do not position where the air is liable to be stagnant. Within these limitations, they will bloom from June to the first frosts of fall. Gladiolus is another relatively short bloomer but which can be persuaded to put on a prolonged display by planting corms every ten days to two weeks, commencing this month. While almost 200 species range from southern Africa north into Europe and east as far as at least Afghanistan, the garden “glad” derives from a distinctly mixed parentage if South African incumbents. The Romans referred to a small sword as a gladiolus; much later taxonomists appropriated the word to describe the shape of the foliage. If possible position up against a fence, garage wall or similar support. Another option to individual staking is the mix them in with medium height perennials. Expect blooming to commence some 60 to 90 days following planting, in late July and continue through into late September and even October. Visiting the gardens of members of Dahlia and Chrysanthemum Societies in late summer can be a startling experience. Preparing their charges for competitive shows requires they be protected from damage by bloom-battering rains. The answer: golf umbrellas firmly fastened to the sturdy stakes that otherwise support the plants. Originally from Central America where they were reportedly grown for their edible tubers, they honour the memory of Andreas Dahl (1751-89), Swedish botanist and pupil of Linnaeus. Rather like gardeners themselves, they come in every height from those that you have to watch where you put your feet to ones you almost have to look up to. These definitely require staking although most of us will omit the brolly. Don’t be tempted to plant dahlias too early lest tubers rot. Like their exotic celebrity counterparts, these are at their best in warmer weather. Late May, even early June when the soil has warmed will do just fine. Like tuberous begonias, they come in single colours and almost every combination of whites, pinks, yellows, oranges and reds through to almost black imaginable. And in keeping with begonias, a rich, organic soil that never completely dries out while remaining well drained will be much appreciated. Since they made their entry onto the gardening stage in the closing years of the 18^th century, dahlias have been valued both for their potential as cut flowers and the ability to produce “dinner-plate” size blooms. The secret behind these, like the huge-headed single-stemmed chrysanthemum blooms, lies in disbudding. Early in the morning, while the stems are still turgid and plump from overnight moisture uptake, look at the head of the flower stems. There will be a fat centre bud flanked by a pair of smaller ones. These are carefully pinched out, leaving the centre one to receive the full attention of the parent plant. The curse of dahlia fanciers is the introduced European earwig. Never stake with bamboos in which they can hide, clean leaf litter away from the plant base, shake the plants gently to scare them out. Lilies are hardy over much of prime gardening Canada and, left undisturbed, will increase year after year. Wait for tuberous begonia, gladiolus and dahlia stems to blacken and shrivel with the frosts and then dig, clean off and store for the following season in a cool, dry, dark place.