A Rainbow of Bulbs

Plant Them Now for Spring Splendor


BY IRIS WATSON
Photo by Pier 39

You know the feeling you get when you see a rainbow-that breathless sense of joy and wonderment and surprise? You can paint your own rainbow, timed to appear in your garden sometime next spring. All you need are a few handfuls of bulbs, some instant color such as pansies, violas or nemesia, a bare patch of earth or a nice-sized container, and it's yours.
    Bulbs give us a huge palette of shapes and colors from which to choose. There are the "happy faces" of daffodils in shades of white, cream, lemon, buttery yellow, deep gold, with touches of peach, apricot and deep orange, with some quite fragrant. Then you have those wonderful Dutch hyacinths in intense shades of violet, blue, rose, pink, white to yellow-fat drumsticks of color with masses of flowers that can perfume an entire room. There are crocus, tall stately Dutch iris, sweet little grape hyacinth, anemones with those beautiful black centers surrounded with vibrant shades of red, magenta, blue or violet; ranunculus with layers upon layers of tissue-paper petals in shades of red, orange, purple, pink, rose, yellow and white. And I must not leave out freesias-these are the architectural delight of the bulb world-tall, thin stems support a lovely curved cluster of blooms that open in stages from large to medium to tight buds at the tip of the "wing" with a soft, gentle fragrance. They come in shades of yellow, orange, red, blue-violet, lavender, cream and white.
    Ah, tulips. Now here's the pot of gold at the end of our rainbow. Nothing speaks quite so eloquently of spring as the graceful and elegant tulip. I have a huge crush on this flower. Grant you, the season is relatively brief, there is generally only one flower per bulb (with several exceptions) and you need more than one or two for a good show. The large teardrop-shaped tulip flower is perched on this impossibly tall and thin stem and you wonder how they can remain standing so tall and stiff and straight. But Mother Nature has a wonderful way with balance, and the stiff, broad, strap-like leaves are a perfect collar to support and protect the flower stem. Because of this natural architecture, it is important how they are placed in the garden-no lines of marching soldiers, please. I like tulips planted in drifts-groups of bulbs spaced in irregular clumps, all of one size and color, that drift into another clump of contrasting size and color. The clumps do not have to be huge; six or seven bulbs, planted 8-10 inches apart, form a lovely display, especially if you plant perennials or annuals over them. If you plan well, you can have color not just all fall and winter, but when the bulbs actually flower in March and April, you have a spectacular show.
    Mark your calendar to take the ferry over to Pier 39 the second week in March and help them celebrate Tulip Mania. All of the plantings are done in containers and are spread throughout the area. The hundreds of different groupings will take your breath away. The combinations of colors and companion plant material are truly inspirational.