ROCK GARDENSBulbs in Rock Gardens 1Some of the dwarfer-growing bulbs are among the most attractive and useful subjects for the rock garden. Most of them bloom early and furnish patches of brilliant colour before the great mass of rock plants awake from their winter sleep. So, apart from their own intrinsic beauty, they well deserve their place in the rock garden.
They
are very effective if planted in clumps
in odd corners of the rock garden, and are
especially attractive when naturalized on
the grassy slopes adjacent to it. In the
rock garden itself they are best planted
beneath a carpeting of Acana microphylla,
Arenaria balearica, Globularia nana, or some
other dwarf trailer. The bulbs will flower
before these break into flower, and when
their bloom is over, the foliage of the rock
plants will hide their decaying leaves. A
list of bulbs especially suitable for planting
in the rock garden are on page four of this
section of the website; some are also excellent
for growing in the Alpine House. The generality
of bulbs are of the easiest cultivation,
needing but to be planted in the early autumn
at about two or three times their own depth,
in reasonably good and lightgarden soil,
with which a good amount of leaf-mould has
been mixed. They should be planted at a uniform
depth and should not come into contact with
recent manure. Good drainage is essential.
If the soil is inclined to be at all heavy,
it is desirable to lighten it by working
in sand at and around each spot in which
a clump of bulbs is to be planted, and a
layer of sand round each bulb will be found
beneficial. Bulbs, as a rule, should be planted
deeply, near a pond or water fountain rather
than shallowly, especially crocuses, gladioli,
and lilies, because the bulbs are then less
likely to suffer from the effects of frost.
Plant the bulbs as early in the autumn as
possible, especially the spring flowering
ones; they then have ample time to develop
their roots before the strain of flowering
makes its demands on them. Early planting
promotes larger. blooms. It is advisable
always to plant the bulbs with a trowel and
to press them firmly, but gently, into the
correct way of earth before they are covered
up. Never plant bulbs with a dibber; this
makes a narrow V-shaped hole in The hole
for the bulb which it is difficult to set
the bulb straight and in which should be
scraped out with a trowel. An air-space,
which will parch the roots, will be left.
Most bulbs, having been planted in suitable
soil at a reasonable distance apart, may
be allowed to remain for several years without
being taken up, divided, and replanted. |
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