The Garden At Rock Cottage by Lance Brilliantine

Bulb Defender

Late October has been very warm this year, and seems more like late September. It is a good thing to take advantage of the continuing warm weather to plant some additional bulbs for spring.

Many people say they fail with spring bulbs. This is surprising considering these are easy and require no special talents. There are, however, a few tricks that will enable spring bulbs to prosper. As a general rule, all spring bulbs require good drainage in order to do well. This means that a handful of peat or sand put into holes before planting the bulbs will help to guarantee success.

A more likely reason for failure is that many spring bulbs are considered delicacies by foraging animals such as deer, squirrels, voles, and mice. These animals love to uproot edible bulbs during winter months and/or eat the flowers just before they bloom.

One secret for spring bulb success is to use unusual spring bulbs as a sentinel to ward off intruders from vulnerable bulbs. If you are not familiar with Fritillaria, this is a group of plants worth knowing, not only because some varieties offer protection to vulnerable bulbs, but because they are also beautiful flowers.

Fritillaria is a genus of about 100 plants belonging to the same family of plants as the lilies: Liliaceae. Fritillarias reside in the north temperate zones throughout the world, and have been actively cultivated since the sixteenth century. Most of them produce nodding, bell- or cup-shaped flowers - the majority spring flowering. They make great border plants and are especially effective in groups of five or more bulbs in either sunny or partly shady locations.

The Crown Imperials (Fritillaria imperialis Rubra maxima and Fritillaria imperialis Lutea maxima) are large, malodorous bulbs that smell like skunk cabbage. Besides providing a scent that scares foraging rodents, the bulbs produce one of the most showy spring flowers in the genus, with orange-red and yellow flowers respectively. The flowers form a ring of bell-shaped, nodding flowers crowned with a tuft of bright green strap-like leaves at the top of a three-foot flower stalk.

Because of the "skunky" odor the bulbs produce, they are quite effective at warding off animals that eat spring bulbs. The foliage also produces an unwelcome scent, and can prevent deer from eating flowers that are planted close by. Because the foliage is odorous, the plants reduce flower loss in spring.

If considering Fritillaria, select bulbs that are wrapped in paper and that have few, if any, brown blemishes on the creamy-colored bulb flesh. This will mean that the bulbs are fresh, which is an issue. Fritillaria lose their potency when out of the ground, so you want to be sure to plant them as soon after purchase as possible.

To plant Fritillaria, cultivate the soil to a depth of about one foot and add in some decayed manure, other organic compost, and/or sand at the time of planting. Fritillaria prefers some alkalinity in the soil, so the addition of lime at the time of planting is also helpful. As with all spring bulbs, these do best when planted in well-drained soil, and seem to like a dry period in summer. Always plant the bulbs with the hollow side facing upward. The bulbs can be planted to a minimum depth of six inches and a maximum of about ten inches.

We believe these flowers ought to be represented in every East End garden. Not only do the flowers attract great attention in the spring garden, they are helpful at reducing the damage of rodents. It is not too late to purchase bulbs this fall.

You can contact Lance Brilliantine with any questions or comments at GardenLance@yahoo.com.

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