Bulbs for all year flowering
Bulbs, What are they? We include all sorts of things in this generic term
CORMS/ RHIZOMES/ and TUBERS.
All are root forms for food storage built up over a season when nutrients are readily available and the the food is used during the next growing season.
A BULB IS a collection of leaf bases around an embryo bud and the new leaves eg Daffodil/ onion
A CORM IS the thickened end of the old stem which will shoot up and produce leaves Crocus/Anemone
A RHIZOME IS an horizontal stem sometimes above the ground which runs along the ground, emerging some distance away from the parent plant, for example Iris
A TUBER IS a swollen root eg Dahlia
A POTATO TUBER is a swollen underground stem
BUYING BULBS
GET THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD
It is not wise to get bulbs from friends/ rejects from the Parks.. Tulip Fire
FEEDING
Provide food each season whether for pots or in the ground
Surface dressing of a general purpose feed /FYM mulch etc
Liquid Manure or seaweed mix
WATERING
Important not to let the soil dry out
PLANTING
Plan/ where/when/what/how
Prepare the ground /pots
In the ground, dig over, remove weeds/roots etc
If ground is poor improve the structure
Drain if area is wet.
IN POTS Choose good compost
A new trend is to add mycorrhizal fungi (ROOTGROW FOR SEEDS AND BULBS)
SHOWING
READ THE SCHEDULE
PREPARE WELL
PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF FLOWERS
Make sure that, 2 weeks before the show that you keep the soil moist
Cut for the show in the evening or early morning when the flowers and foliage are cool
Avoid excess handling
Carry blooms facing downwards and cut more than necessary in case of accidents and to get the best on the bench. Be careful in transit!
Remove any damaged material
WHAT DO JUDGES LOOK FOR?
Daffs. Flowers carried at a near right angle to the stem except with species
Do not exhibit immature or over mature flowers
Points are given for form and poise/colour/condition and texture/stem/size (for the cultivar) and presentation.
SPRING: Daffodils early/mid and late miniature/ large cups/bicoloured
Anemone blanda/ Crocus/Tulipa kaufmanniana/ scilla/ Ipheon/ Snowdrops/ erythronium/ cyclamen/ fritillaria meleagris/ Eranthis/Muscari
SUMMER: Dierama/ Dahlia/ Eucomis/ Amaryllis belladonna/ Hymenocallis/ Crocosmia
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