HIGH COUNTRY GARDENER

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 381, 9 April 1991, Page 12

HIGH COUNTRY GARDENER

by Bea Bames should be uppermost, the roots will form from the broader base. This applies to all bulbs. Keep the surrounding soil moist at all times. Daffodils will bloom quiet happily in full sun or semi shade in a position sheltered from the wind. Again a well dug and free draining soil and add a handful of blood and bone at planting time. Plant the bulbs about four inches deep and the same distance apart. Colourful display Anemomes and ranunculus both prefer full sun and weather. The single or double varieties make a colourful display for a long time. The 'Teclote' strain although more expensive give larger flowers and very vibrant colours. Hyacinths enjoy a soil rich in humus to retain the moisture and a sunny or lightly shaded position out of the wind. We always lift our hyacinths after the flowering season is over and the foliage has completely yellowed off. I save the bulbs from year to year and always get a good show. Perhaps not such large spikes from the older bulbs but a bright display. Plant them under a window or near a door where their lovely perfume can be enjoyed. Tulips, the stateliest of flowers, enjoy full sun with as little wind as possible. Plant tulips

ground. A well dug soil enriched in humus and a handful of blood and bone at planting time. Add a little well balanced fertiliser about once a month during the growing season for best results. Container growing All bulbs do equally well in pots or containers provided careful attention is given to watering and the container is large enough to give roots sufficient room to grow and nourish the flowering bulb. Remember container grown plants dry out more quickly. Use a well balanced potting mix as this will better retain the moisture. Keep the pots in a shady position until the growing tips are a couple of inches high then move the pots into a sunnier position. If you want to bring the pots inside the house for the flowering time wait until the buds have set in their position outside. To bring them in too soon will have the effect of encouraging leggy leafy growth at the expense of the flower. Unless you have a sunny frost free corner freesias are too frost tender to grow up here but will do well in pots on the verandah or patio as long as they are not subjected to frost. Delightful effect Last year we planted the lovely daffodil 'Ice Follies' around the base

had finished their flowering season we grew a mass of pansy 'Imperial Pink' in their place and they made a gorgeous show all summer, in fact they are still throwing up fresh blooms now. I like to buy just a few special bulbs each year and this year have bought the blue mauve tulip 'Cum Laude ' which I shall grow in a pot.last year we grew 'The Artist' a pretty little pink tulip with a definite stripe of green. We also tried 'Spring Green' but whether it was the prolonged wet weather or whether they didn't care for our tender ministrations I don't know, but they didn't grow at all well. No bulbs should be lifted for drying until the foliage has completely yellowed off. This can be frustrating as it takes rather a long time and half dead looking foliage does nothing for the appearance of the garden. This is where it is an advantage to plant in clumps, as with care the whole clump can be lifted with a spade and transferred to a part of the garden not in full vicw and left to die down in peace. They still need moisture to nourish the bulb for the next season so don't neglect watering them. When all the foliage has completely died down bulbs can be lifted for storage, dried and dusted with an insecticide prior to storage in an airy place in the garden shed.