The Rural Voice, 2004-10, Page 40Gardening
Plant now for vessels of light to glisten in hour spring garden
Rhea
Hamilton -
Seeger and
her husband
live near
Auburn. She
is a skilled
cook and
gardener.
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
• Perched on the top of a windblown
hill sits a well -weathered, old grey
farmhouse. Not the kind of place that
would attract the eye of someone
speeding by, at least part of the year.
But as the snow melts and the land
starts to warm up, the colour begins
to dance up the hill and swirl around
the old house. Vessels of brilliant
light gird the hill and threaten to
distract motorists into the ditch. This
glorious display is the handiwork of
Laurel and Ken Wilson.
In the fall of 1999 they set out
2000 bulbs to commemorate the
turning of the millennium. They were
so delighted with the results that they
have continued to plant between 400
and 500 bulbs each fall.
"We start in October" said Laurel.
It is a team effort. For the most part
Ken digs the hole with a single -bulb
planter and spritzes in a shot of liquid
rodent repellent then Laurel dusts the
hole with bulb builder (a commercial
combination of blood and bone
meal), pops in the bulb and covers it.
Sounds simple until you think of the
numbers they are planting. Laurel did
admit they will dig a trench if they
have a larger area to fill but for the
most part they plant the bulbs
individually — a daunting task in
some books.
I have known Laurel for many
years and appreciate her fine eye for
colour. She is a craft -person at heart
and her love of colour is evident in
her choice of bulbs. Among her
favourites are Monte Carlo, a large
double yellow and the Emperor tulips
that favour the orange and red hues.
Laurel also likes Queen of the Night,
a large, late bloolning tulip. It is the
darkest tulip grown — such a deep
purple that is is known as the "The
36 THE RURAL VOICE
Black Tulip." To set it off she has
planted paler coloured tulips for
contrast.
While she laughs if you ask her
about planning and design, she picks
up colours she likes and pops them in
where they will show off the best. No
real plan but not without thought
either.
Tulip bulbs are for sale now and
can be planted right up until the
ground freezes. They don't like to sit
in wet soil and will rot away in wet
heavy soils. Fertile sandy soils will
give you the best results. It will take
anywhere from two to four weeks for
the bulbs to start setting out roots.
Then you can`give them a good drink.
Too much water before the
roots have set may lead to
rot or other infections.
There are a few
diseases that affect
the average tulip
growing in the
home garden. Most
problems stem
from poor
drainage, and
aphids which
carry a viral
disease that
causes irregular
spotting and striping
of flowers, mottled
leaves and plants that
are reduced in size and
vigour. Always destroy
infected plants that have
started to rot. A clean garden
happy garden.
Tulip growers recommend
bonemeal or superphosphate at the
rate of two to four ounces per 10
square feet. You can also add this to
the soil surface and scuffle it in. The
plants will feed on this in the spring
and replenish the bulb after
blooming.
There are quite a few loose rules
about how to plant tulips. The depth
is determined by the size of the bulb.
You want to have a good four to five
inches of soil over the bulb. If you
are intending to leave them in the
ground for a number of years than
you can plant them as deep as 10 to
12 inches. The small bulbs of the
species tulips are the exception and
should be planted more shallowly.
Like so many things today, you
get what you pay for. If you buy
cheap bulbs you may not be happy
with the results. Tulip bulbs are
graded according to their
circumference and variety. The
largest bulbs produce the largest
blooms.
My favourites include the species
tulips. Ideal for rock gardens and
along stony paths, they enjoy the
summer baking effect of dry soil and
lots of heat. They can be as small as
your favourite crocus or as tall as 15
inches. Laurel and Ken don't plant
many of these as they don't seem
to show up in the greater
scheme of their garden.
Laurel admitted to
liking the lovely shape of
lily tulips. Their grace
keeps them in demand
as cut flowers with
many commerical
growers. Laurel and
Ken also plant a
variety of narcissi and
daffodils down the hill
and along the lane but
keep the tulips front
and foremost in the
large beds around the
house.
I had to ask if
Laurel found her tulips
multiplying with the same
success as daffodils. She has noticed
that the blooms on the fancier bulbs
get smaller each year until they just
disappear, unlike some of the older
varieties like the Darwin and
Emperor tulips. With so many bulbs
and such a riot of colour it is hard to
imagine any one bulb not making a
show each spring.
Ken and Laurel have been planting
flowering shrubs to provide a
backdrop for their tulips and a
provide some spring colour without
all the intense fall planting in their
garden. It is a lovely location made
magical for weeks every spring with
the brilliant vessels of light we know
as tulips.°
is a