17 - Friday, October 7, 1988 - North Shore News

Planting little bulbs

gives

THE DELICATE beauty of the
little bulbs of spring is easily
overlooked alongside their large
showy cousins.

Once you experience them you
will never want your garden to be
without snowdrops (Galanthus
nivalis), snowflakes (Leucojum
aestivum), winter aconites (Eran-
this hyemalis), _lily-of-the-valley
(Convallaria majalis) or fumewort
(Corydalis solida).

The best way to appreciate
smaller bulbs is to plant thern in
large clusters, 25 or more for most
little bulbs. Just toss them out into
the planting space and locate them
where they land for a natural look.

Try them in the lawn for an ear-
ly spring surprise. By the time you
need to cut the lawn, these flowers
will have finished and their foliage
will have withered well enough so
that you can mow without fear of
impairing the bulbs’ ability to
propagate and bloom again for
years to come.

Snowdrops are among the first
to bloom. They perform well in
humus-rich soil and settle in well
under shrubs, as well as on the
lawn. ;

The snowdrop gets its name
from its tiny white flowers, as well
as its early appearance. Snowdrops
stand about 10 cm high and should
be planted about 10. cm deep.

Snowflakes are closely related to
snowdrops and resemble their
cousins, except that their six petals
are all the same length whereas the
snowdrop has three long and three
short ones. These flowers are taller
than snowdrops,
reaching about 40 cm in height.

Leucojum aestivum will begin to
bloom anywhere from the end of
April through the beginning of
May, depending on where you are

however, . §

in Canada. The cultivar Gravetye
Giant is especially fine and can
have as many as eight blooms on a
stem. You will find Leucojum
aestivum prefers a moist location
and often does best along the

water’s edge — pond, stream, etc. °

Eranthis hyemalis, the winter
aconite, produces a bright, butter-
cup-yellow bloom centred on a
ruff of bright green leaves. If left
undisturbed over the years, these
will slowly expand in numbers.

This flower grows from especial-
ly small corms (only two to three
em in diameter) and so must not be
planted too deep; five cm should
be the maximum. They, too, like
moist conditions.

In fact, winter aconites should
be soaked in water for about 24
hours before planting under shrubs
and light trees. Try not to locate

IG results

them in too much shade, however,
because their flowers only open up
when they get sufficient sunlight
and close again at night.

On the West Coast you may find
them blooming as early as Febru-
ary. However, the rest of the
country usually needs at least
another six weeks to enjoy the
winter aconite.

An old fashioned favorite in
bridal bouquets, the lily-of-the-
valley (Convailaria majalis), can
become riotous in the garden.
Flowering in May in most places,
they produce delicious-smelling,
bell-shaped white (or light pink)
flowers in clusters about five to 10
cm tail.

Another very good little bulb for
naturalizing bears a most unpleas-
See Aconites
Page 18

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