Dahlia

 

Dahlias are perennial tubers that bloom from late summer to the fall months. They come in multitude of different colors, shape and sizes. Most can grow as tall as six feet in height with blooms as big as a small plate.

Established dahlias require a thorough and deep watering at least once a week during the summer months. Summer this year in Southern California is unusually humid with a few inches of rainfall. With the mandated reduction in water usage due to the drought, I have watered my dahlias only every other week but still came out with huge and healthy blooms. The rain during the summer months definitely helped.

Besides the pink dahlia that I planted a few years back, I planted a new one during early spring and it bloomed with an orange red flower. As usual the pink one has blooms that are huge but not as huge as the last few years. It definitely needs to be dug out and divided. I will have to do this early January. It should have been done this year but did not have the time.

Daffodils

Daffodils or Narcissus are bulbs that look like onions with flowers that have pronounced necks. The leafless stems, appearing from early to late spring bear from 1 to 20 blooms. Each flower has a central bell that looks like a bowl bowl or disc-shaped corona surrounded by a ring of six floral leaves.

Flower color varies from white through yellow to deep orange. The most common color is the bright yellow. Breeders have developed some daffodils with double, triple, or ambiguously multiple rows and layers of segments, and several wild species also have known double variants.

Daffodils don’t thrive very well in Southern California. The ones that I have planted come back the following year but most don’t come grow back by the third year. One exception is the smaller variety. The leaves and flowers are small but they grow back every spring unlike the larger variety. This one measures approximately 4 to 5 inches in height. Each bulb has 4 to 5 flowers per bulb. The flower color is as bright yellow as the bigger variety.

 

This variety may not be as stunning as the ones grown in colder climates but it is beautiful nonetheless. 

Daffodils makes you feel spring.

Bulb 2

The best time to plant bulbs is spring and fall. It is September and it is time to get ready to plant bulbs. It is best to plant in the fall; bulbs planted in the fall will bloom the following spring. Bulbs planted in spring will bloom in the summer.

Most bulbs thrive in either full or partial sun. In mild climates like Southern California it is best to plant bulbs in partial shade. Bulbs require good drainage and you must avoid planting in base of slopes or under drainpipes or wherever water collects; this will make the bulb rot.

I planted some gladiolas several years ago and they have thrived beautifully. I planted thee corms in a hole and they have multiplied and they need to be taken out and divided to avoid overcrowding. This process is necessary if you want large bloom. I will do this as soon as the weather turns a little bit cooler.

Gladiolas are corms and are known by several names: gladiolus, gladiola, glads, and sword lily. They are called sword lily because of their long and sword-like leaves. Although they are sometimes called sword lily they are not lilies but corms.

Gladiolas planted in fall or early spring will bloom in July to August and they come in a hue of colors including bi-colors. They prefer rich, soft soil and plenty of water. A little fertilizer will help if the soil is poor.

To propagate glads, dig up the corms in fall. Separate the corms, wash and dry and store them in a cool and dry location in a paper bag. Never use plastic bag; plastic bags will trap the moisture and this will rot the corms.

Bulbs

Bulbs come in endless variety which makes them perfect for any type of garden. Varieties include corms, rhizomes and tubers.

Corms are sometimes confused with true bulbs, they are similar in appearance externally but the inside of corms is structured differently.

Examples of rhizomes are irises, Lily of the Valley and cannas. Tubers are begonias and dahlias. Tulips and daffodils are considered true bulbs.

A bulb is a self-contained flower factory.  It contains nearly everything the flower needs to come to life. If you split a bulb open you will see the baby flower bud, leaves, roots, stem and food supply. All it needs is to be placed in the ground at the appropriate season of the year, some water then left to work their magic.

I planted a dahlia a few years ago and it keeps coming back every spring. The one I planted is the cactus type. It has fully double flowers with pointed florets. The flower is pinkish to white in color and around 5” to 10” in diameter. The first year blooms were really big but becoming smaller every year which means the bulb needs to be dug up and divided.  This needs to be done before spring.

Dahlias came from Central America and Mexico. The Aztecs cultivated dahlias for food and decorative purposes. They are also used for ceremonial purposes. The dahlia is named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl an 18^th century botanist. It is also the national flower of Mexico.