BULB QUERIES AND ANSWERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 892, 8 February 1930, Page 28

BULB QUERIES AND ANSWERS

WHY SHOULD NOT LEAVES OF BULBS BE CUT OFF? Because they are necessary to the formation of new bulbs and flowers for the following year. Green leaves, under the influence of light, produce food which is necessary to growth. If leaves are removed before they are withered, the bulbs are starved. HOW CAN THE RIPENING FOLIAGE OF BULBS BE PREVENTED FROM BEING UNSIGHTLY? If the bulbs are planted permanently In beds or borders, it is a good plan to sow in March, before the bulbs bloom, seeds of some stronggrowing annuals between and around the clumps. As the flowers fade, the annuals grow rapidly and hide the old leaves and stems of the bulbs in a bower ol’ fresh green leaves and blossoms. Suitable annuals for this purpose are Blue Woodruff, Callendula or Scotch Marigold, Godetia (the dwarf bushy varieties), Gypsophila elegans, Dwarf Nasturtiums, etc. WHY' ARE FREESIAS DIFFICULT TO GROW IN A HOUSE? It is not that they are difficult to grow; on the contrary, they are easy. When failure occurs, it is mostly due to the foliage becoming “drawn,” the result of being too far away from the source of light. Freesias, whether in the home or the greenhouse, should be as near to the glass as possible without actually touching it. WHAT IS A “BULB?” There are several .kinds of “bulbs” as understood by the average gardener. The true bulb, as typified by the hyacinth, consists of thick, short leaves, attached to a core,

which is really a shortened, underground stem. Other “bulbs,” such as the crocus, are properly called “corms,” and are underground stems purely and simply. HOW IS THE HYACINTH PROPAGATED? Large, plump “mother” bulbs are selected at a certain time of the year, and cuts are made, crosswise, through the centre of the base of the bulb, nearly severing the bulbs in two, or the lower part of the bulb is scooped out, like a shell. The treated bulbs are placed in a warm place, and in a few weeks, dozens of tiny bulblets are formed on the edges of the bulb “scales.” At the proper time, the mother bulbs are planted, and after a season’s growth or so, the young bulbs are separated; the mother bulbs, in the meantime, having died. WHY DO NARCISSI SOMETIMES FAIL TO FLOWER? There are several causes of nonflowering of narcissi and daffodils. In the case of newly-planted bulbs of some varieties, such as Pheasants’ Eye and Double White, it is due to the bulbs being transplanted. These varieties do not bloom really well until the second year after planting. In the case of bulbs of other varieties which have been planted in grass or in the border for a number of years, the cause of non-flowering is probably starvation, and the cure is to dig them up and replant in fresh soil. Even so, it may take them a year or two to recover.