Peter Bowden

WITH Gardening WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY PETER BOWDEN PETER BOWDEN

All the beautiful flowers I grow in summer can’t give me the same thrill as the first crocus emerging as the last of the winter’s snow retreats from the gardens. After a long flowerless winter, these first blooms of the season seem so precious. Snowdrops, daffodils, tulips, allium, hyacinths and all the bulbs we planted in the fall arrive in

sequence to brighten early spring days. Planting these bulbs in fall is like sending yourself a love letter that won’t arrive

until spring. These small bulbs are a miracle in themselves. How do we make sure our bulbs will return year after year? Think of them as rechargeable batteries. They

don’t store electricity but “growth energy”. The trick to perpetual success with bulbs is in “recharging the battery” After they flower in spring, that

“growth energy” is depleted during the all-out

effort to reproduce (flower) in spring. After the flowers go by, remove the spent bloom and stem. This prevents the bulb from wasting “growth energy” producing seeds. That

“growth energy” is instead directed to the bulb where it is stored until next spring’s flowering cycle. This is also the time

to feed your bulbs. Scratching some bulb food into the soil around your bulbs will provide the nutrients they need to grow larger and

more plentiful. Think of the bulbs’ leaves as solar collectors that change sunlight into “growth energy” that is sent to the bulb below for storage. Don’t cut off these solar collectors when you remove the spent blossoms. Let them remain until they finish charging up your “bulb batteries”. The leaves will eventually turn yellow, letting you know that they have done their job and can be cut away.

Hellebore flowers also provide another thrill as soon as the last

of the snow disappears. Hellebores carry their flower buds over winter and burst open in mid to late March. The flowers are

large, ornate and persist for a month or more. The foliage is evergreen as well. Hellebore are care free and adaptable to part sun to shady locations. Flower color runs the

gamut from white to deep purple and every shade of pink to red in between. Look for them early at the garden center if you have a shady location that

could use some very early color to start spring on a cheerful note.

Thanks for the read. S S