(Lady Slipper orchid)
In the garden: Orchid show opens at Hespeler arena
That was a frosty close call last weekend, but everything survived, even my impatiens and coleus. They’re soft stemmed plants, usually among the first to succumb to cold, while plants with woodier stems hold on a little longer.
Time may be running out for the flowering plants in the garden, but that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of colour. Ornamental grasses are looking their best now, as trees and shrubs begin their shift across the spectrum to take their place in another glorious fall production.
There’s another place to see brilliant colours this weekend. It’s the Central Ontario Orchid Society annual show and sale at the Hespeler arena, Cambridge. I went last year for the first time and now I’m an orchid grower. Not a particularly good one, perhaps, but they’re still alive and all three are flowering again, so I must be doing something right.
That’s summer colour, fall colour and potential winter colour covered, but what about spring?
Planted your spring flowering bulbs yet? The cooler weather should have lowered the soil temperature a little, close to the preferred optimum of below 16 degrees C. The reason we don’t plant bulbs in summer is because they might think of sprouting if they just came out of cold storage. From now until freeze-up is the best time to get them into the ground.
Success is almost guaranteed as the flower is already in the bulb, waiting for sprouting conditions, but a little care when planting will ensure they grow well and continue to produce blooms in years to come.
Plant about three times the height of the bulb, measured to the bottom of the hole. By planting a few bulbs slightly deeper, you’ll be able to stagger the blooming time and extend the display. Rather than planting bulbs individually with a bulb-planting tool, I prefer to give the soil a good turning and plant a group. I dig in organic matter like compost or rotten leaves at the same time.
If you do choose to plant bulbs individually, there are soil auger tools available that fit on an electric drill. Drill a little deeper and drop a little compost in to soften the bottom the of the hole and get the roots off to a good start. Don’t plant bulbs where the soil will be waterlogged over winter as this can cause them to rot.
For the less energetic gardener, I recently read of an experiment where, instead of digging holes for tulip bulbs, they were placed on the surface of a flower bed and covered with about 20 centimetres of mulch. They apparently flowered well, but perhaps only as a one time display, as I would think just a layer of mulch would make it a little too easy for squirrels or other pests to get at the bulbs, a frequent concern.
There are many suggestions to discourage critters from bulb hunting. Most effective is a barrier — chicken wire either on the soil surface or buried a five or six centimetres (about two inches) in the soil. The shoots will easily grow up through the mesh. Squirrels are attracted to bulbs by disturbed soil and by sniffing them out. There are countless suggestions on what to use to disguise the smell, everything from moth balls, pepper, blood meal, human hair to Irish Spring soap. Why this particular soap? Who knows? Is it effective? Maybe. True deterrents are daffodils and alliums. Since squirrels won’t go near them, stick with using them if you have a serious problem, or plant them among your other bulbs.
Looks like it’s going to be a busy weekend.
