Bulbs Corms Tubers Rhizomes
Mary from Pennsylvania wrote and asked, “can I plant bulbs now (April, May) sothat they will come up in the spring? Currently, my flowers have bloomed and I have a lot of empty spots due to some plantings damaged by frost. I would like to fill in those spaces since I can see where I need to plant.”
Hi Mary,
Thanks for asking about spring planted bulbs. Depending on where you live in Pennsylvania you probably live in Hardiness Zone 5 or 6. Here are some suggested varieties of bulbs, corms, tubers, and rhizomes that should do fine. Some will have to be planted after last frost.
Phil The Gardener
| What is a tuber? Tubers are enlarged storage structures that are used by the plant to store nutrients over the winter. |
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| Common | Botanical | Blooming Season |
| Name | Name | |
| Begonia tuberous | Begonia | Summer to fall |
| Garden gloxinia | Incarvillea | Summer |
| What is a bulb? | daffodil, onion | |
| A bulb has layers of thickened leaf bases that are used as food storage for the plant. | ||
| Common | Botanical | Blooming Season |
| Name | Name | |
| Allium | Allium | Blooms Spring to Summer |
| Lily, Asiatic/Oriental | Lilium | Early Summer |
| Summer hyacinth | Galtonia | Summer to fall |
| What is a corm? | freezia | |
| Corms have a solid starchy core that the plant uses for food storage. | ||
| Common | Botanical | Blooming Season |
| Name | Name, | |
| Autumn Flowering | Crocus | Fall |
| Gladiolus | Gladiolus | Early summer to early fall |
| Montbretia | Crocosmia | Summer |
| What is a rhizome? | Iris, canna | |
| A rhizome is a horizontal stem that sends out roots and stems from its nodes. | ||
| Common | Botanical | Blooming Season |
| Name | Name, | |
| Canna | Cannaceae | Spring to late summer |
| Iris | Iris | Spring to late summer |
| Lords and ladies | Arum | Summer |
| Roscoea | Roscoea | Summer to fall |
| Windflower | Anemone | Early summer |
| Common | Botanical | Blooming Season |
| Name | Name | |
| Daylily | Hemerocallis | Summer |
| Meadow saffron | Colchicum | Summer to early fall |
http://www.philthegardener.com
June 13th, 2008 at
Growing plants using hydroponics is advantageous in urban areas, where space is at a premium. It also benefits those regions where the soil is not conducive to gardening.