DAN'S PAPERS, June 13, 2008 Page 102 www.danshamptons.com
Earthly Delights
By April Gonzales
Exotic Bulbs – Worth the Effort
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ly available but I did not find that it bloomed spectacularly. All of these exotic bulbs have a wonderful fireworks like flower that is just perfect for the fourth of July. A pot full of them alone makes a big statement in the garden or on the patio. They require very little care and once the flowers are gone the strappy foliage is bold and graphic, attractive enough in itself to hold my interest for the rest of the year.
What to Do Now: Garden chores wear thin after the summer gets hot and thoughts of the beach or biking are more appealing. Watering is a great way to space out but maybe you will find that you have better things to do with your time once the warm weather hits. So consider adding the pots into your irrigation system. Small lines can be snaked up through the hole in the bottom of the pots, and tiny emitters can rest on the top of the soil amongst the plants. These will do the watering automatically every time the irrigation comes on leaving you free for other pursuits. For more than 20 years, April Gonzales has been involved in garden design, installation and maintenance on the East End, as well as specimen plant scouting and site supervision for landscape architects.
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greenhouse and onto the warmest part of the patio as they like it hot. They rebloom reliably every year because they dry out a little bit in the winter and most importantly because they are incredibly root bound. This is not a bulb that you split up because it will take at least five years to do anything, even if you pour a ton of rooting hormone on it. For myself I simply buy them every year and add them to the pots. It is an expensive plant and it may seem like a waste to simply throw them away, but I think that they are worth it. The agapanthus have a wide range of blues and whites. “Storm Cloud” is a large variety that blooms on 3-4’ stems with 6” deep blue balls of trumpet shaped flowers. “Midnight” is supposedly a perennial in our climate but all of mine succumbed over the winter. The same deep blue in color, it is more petite then “Storm Cloud” and in general puts up more spikes. I presently have a pot full of Agapanthus alba, a large flowered, pure white, but will stuff in some Agapanthus africanus which is a tall medium blue variety. Some years I also find Peter Pan a 2’ small flowered Agapanthus, and I even tried the creamy yellow variegated leaved variety that is occasionalPhoto by April Gonzales
I am not a lover of houseplants, so when the weather turned a little warmer in April I threw all mine out onto the back patio. This was a minor catastrophe for the Clivia and the variegated Peruvian Lilly. The oaks had not fully leafed out and the leaves of both these exotic bulbs scorched in the sun. They will bounce back though. The Clivia is already putting up a new bud, and the Lilly has new shoots emerging. These are two of my favorite exotic bulbs and I keep them overwintered — they’re worth the effort. The Clivia has a lovely light salmon flower head and will probably be up for some dividing in the fall as baby shoots are already coming up at the sides. Collectors covet a soft yellow that became available a few years ago through the White Flower Farm catalogue, but I am content to have just one as a focal point in the garden. In spite of its sunburn the Peruvian lilly is doing well also and new shoots started to emerge last year. But more than likely I will leave these in a clump and not split them. The foliage is graphic, bold and stately enough so that waiting a year or two for them to bloom is not a problem. When the flower finally does begin to bloom it will be a deep rose purple ball, slightly spidery in feel, but very elegant. The only other exotic bulb in my containers is a collection of agapanthus. However I do not over winter these indoors at my house. We do this in one greenhouse, where there is a lot of western sun. Also known as Lilly of the Nile, the agapanthus are in plastic pots for easy movement in and out of the
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