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PHOTO ARCHIVES THE PRESS
Rather little known, camassias are very hardy here. Native to the west of the continent, they require well-drained soil to spend the winter, like most bulbous plants.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY INTERNATIONAAL BLOEMBOLLEM CENTRUM
Snowflake flowers are of great beauty. They bloom in May and reach 60 cm.
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Alliums come in several sizes. Allium moly barely reaches 30 cm while the purple “Purple Sensation” (our photo) stands at 60 cm and the Allium giganteum are more than a meter long.
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Similar requirements
Whether they reach 5 or 6 cm in height like the pretty yellow eranthes and the early crocuses or 1.5 m like the spectacular Eremurus bungeithe vast majority of bulbous plants have the same cultural requirements. Maximum sunlight, but, more importantly, well-drained soil. Any excess winter humidity is usually fatal for a bulb, especially if the location risks being covered with water during periods of mild weather.
It is always best to group your bulbs by color and plant several in the same place to form imposing bouquets. Small reminder: it is absolutely necessary to let the foliage of bulbous plants wilt at the end of flowering, an essential condition for having flowers the following spring.
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Like these crocuses, it is always better to group bulbous plants by color for the best effect.
The squirrels again…
If they neglect daffodils, fritillaries, hyacinths, snowdrops and snowdrops, squirrels nevertheless remain a subject to be concerned about. They love tulips and crocuses. There are plenty of repellents, including granular chicken manure, but none will stop a hungry beast. On a small area, a light metal trellis placed over your plantation should discourage them. All you have to do is remove it when spring comes.
PHOTO FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
The little ones Iris reticulata are perfect for embellishing a lawn in spring. They usually bloom as soon as the snow has cleared.
Dandelion to the rescue!
No need to wait until May to see the first flowers of spring appear. And these colors are even more spectacular when they emerge from normally yellowed turf, often in March. This is the case for several crocuses, chionodoxas and a little later squills, puschiknias and snowdrops, plants whose flower stalk hardly exceeds 10 or 15 cm.
The dandelion has also come to their rescue in recent years due to municipal policies which encourage keeping the unloved plant until the end of its flowering to encourage pollinators. By delaying cutting the grass in this way, we allow our little bulbous plants, which are in flower well before the dandelion, to stock up on energy for the following year.
Theoretically, several other species can find their place in the lawn, but I prefer to plant the small eranthes whose flowering is extremely early, the delicate spring irises (Iris reticulata and others), corydalis, grape hyacinths and even snowdrops in the foreground of a flower bed so that they are clearly visible. Same situation for the lovely Greek anemones which flower later, but much longer.
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Spanish hyacinths come in many colors. They are in flower at the end of May, beginning of June, and their show often lasts three weeks.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY INTERNATIONAL FLOWERBULB CENTER
Each “Toronto” tulip bulb produces several flowers.
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The “Antoinette” tulip changes color as it blooms, going from yellow to pink. A splendor!
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY INTERNATIONAL FLOWERBULB CENTER
Several varieties of small daffodils produce many flowers per stem, such as ‘Baby Boom’.
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Plant deep
Medium-sized bulbous plants are numerous. Tulips, daffodils, erythrones, hyacinths, hyacinthoids (Spanish hyacinths) as well as several varieties of alliums and fritillaries are in the group. The choice is considerable.
Despite current recommendations, often established for Europe, do not hesitate to plant deeply, three to four times the height of the bulb, or under 10 to 15 cm of soil in the case of tulips or daffodils, for example. . Your plant will be more protected from the cold and ground movements caused by mild weather while being less vulnerable to squirrels.
For a spectacular effect, opt for tulips that will produce several flowers per bulb (“Antoinette”, “Toronto”, “Québec” and some Tulipa praestans). Certain varieties of small-flowered daffodils also have the same characteristic.
Among the species to discover, there are the magnificent snowdrops (leucojum) which are reminiscent of giant snowdrops, the erythrones (variety “Pagoda”) and the pretty Spanish hyacinths, all species which flower later, often at the end of May, beginning June.
PHOTO ARMAND TROTTIER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The imperial fritillary “Fritillaria lutea” produces pretty yellow bells on a flower stalk which can reach 90 cm in height. The bulb must be buried 20 cm deep.
Remarkable greatness
Impossible to remain indifferent in front of a clump of giant decorative garlic, imperial fritillaries or eremurus. They dominate their environment with brilliance, at least part of the spring. Obviously, such greatness comes with a price. These bulbs are expensive, a few dollars each. However, it is preferable to group two or three together for a better effect. Planting depth: 20 to 25 cm.
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Giant alliums have been gaining popularity in recent years. In the background, in white, the “Mount Everest” variety.
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Eremurus bungei is the hardiest of the eremurus. Spectacular, it reaches 1.5 m in June. It requires dry soil in summer.
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The flower sphere of giant white or blue alliums reaches 8 to 10 cm in diameter and remains very attractive once flowering has finished and the foliage has disappeared. The rustic Eremurus bungei produces a yellow flower stalk 1.5 m high at the end of May, beginning of June. The yellow or orange imperial fritillary presents its pretty bells on a 90 cm stem. However, it is capricious and emits a scent that can be unpleasant. Little known, camassias rise to 80 cm and offer beautiful blue or white ears. Much less expensive than the previous ones, they last for years.