Leonard Moorehead, the Urban Gardener: Minor Spring Bulbs, Major Impact
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Life is a powerful force. People move mountains, funnel water ways, pave to within an inch. Yet beneath us is great vitality. Wherever we stride divine providence inspires friendly competition among gardeners. No one is immune, a smile lifts up the spirit as the first crocus, the first daffodil, grape hyacinth, or intense blue squill bloom. They are modest and humble perennials worthy of every garden. There is much good in life.
Do not distain the minor spring bulbs. Petite in many cases, a single crocus bloom models life’s tenacious grip. Given modest encouragement, crocus multiply. They form colonies of bloom in the corners and niches of more cultivated grounds. Crocus were once common in lawns. Herbicides became their nemesis. Snowdrops are similar victims. Resist the impulse to tolerant some and destroy others. Harmless garden techniques permits bio-diversity and allowed, becomes greater than the sum of their parts.
Bulbs are good investments. Their size is a plus. Garden with children at every opportunity. Bulbs are easier for small fingers to grasp. Corrected vision? Bulbs are visible while tiny seeds such as poppies are not. Select locations along cultivated margins. Gardeners are imperfect beings, many crocus or daffodil has fallen to lapse in memory. All gardeners have accidentally dug up spring bulbs or turned them under. Immediately replant further apart at the same depth as found. A general rule of thumb is 2-3x depth to diameter. Scatter bulbs, avoid regimentation. Discovery is part of their magic. Plant as scattered for whimsy.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAssociate spring bulbs with natural allies. Roses’ thorns discourage closeness, crocus and tulips thrive within the thorn zone. Bone meal or rock phosphate promotes root and bulb development. Both are slow acting nutrients unlikely to seep into aquifers and fresh waterways. Daffodils are superb companion plants for other spring bulbs. The Narcissi group of spring bulbs includes jonquils and paper-white types. Search for early, mid and late season varieties. Daffodils are poisonous to squirrels and skunks foraging for tulips. Intersperse narcissus bulbs as an effective deterrent.
Dwarf fruit trees are natural associates for spring bulbs. No gardener cultivates under a fruit tree’s drip line, the area under the furthest branches. A permanent mulch is the single best garden practice, especially under trees, shrubs, and trellises. Tuck in spring bulbs whose shallow roots do not compete with deeper root systems. Moreover, spring bulbs enjoy bloom and continuous leaf growth long before the sheltering fruit trees have bloomed and developed shady foliage.
Many gardeners overlook the quiet growth season after spring bloom. Groom spent blooms and compost, do not trample or cut back the remaining foliage. The foliage builds strength in the mother bulbs for next spring’s bloom and promote numerous bulblets, the next prolific generation.
Patiience pays with spring bulbs. Grape hyacinths bloom the first season, each a lonely outpost of purple, sometimes white or pink. Grape hyacinths are planted under an apricot tree kept heavily mulched with slow to decay wood chips. Each spring, the Muscari Armenia is far more robust than first. Subsequent generations have formed a dense green spring mat beneath the apricot. Where once solitary blooms made a claim, the colony becomes a delightful purple/blue haze.
Plant the minor spring bulbs annually. New varieties and colors are constantly developed and some will perish during over- zealous cultivation. Heavy mulches over paper are effective weed control measures, use caution applying very thick mulches over bulbs. A hard tined landscape rake is a good tool for pulling back excessive mulches. There is no need to rake away all mulch, simply reveal the green sprouts in a gentle, caring manner. After several successive plantings, successful colonies are an embarrassment of riches. Lift and divide in fall or very early spring, establish new colonies from established plantings or share with friends.
Life is a powerful force, there is much good. Rejoice in the minor spring bulbs. Smile and give thanks for the beauty in the world, evident among small bulbs glorious to behold. Such sights have inspired generations as William Wordsworth notes:
“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.”
Leonard Moorehead is a life-long gardener. He practices organic-bio/dynamic gardening techniques in a side lot surrounded by city neighborhoods in Providence RI. His adventures in composting, wood chips, manure, seaweed, hay and enormous amounts of leaves are minor distractions to the joy of cultivating the soil with flowers, herbs, vegetables, berries, and dwarf fruit trees.
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