Container Garden Guide

For those of you who prefer gardens that thrive on neglect” or do not have time for intensive gardening, try summer bulbs. May is the time to plant these. The results one achieves from planting these are marvelous. The common garden canna is truly a hardy member of this group. The dormant rhizomes are usually available in nearly every garden store. Look for vigorous varieties and fast growers. Clusters of bright red flowers are produced in quantity. Do not forget a good pink while or small-flowered oranges with bronze foliage. The foliage is as valuable as the flowers, in fact with many gardeners it is more valuable. In our area the rhizomes should be dug and stored for the winter.

A favorite summer bulb for many gardeners is the gladiolus. These old favorites have come a long way and with the new varieties that will grow to six feet… perhaps more than staking will be necessary.

To me one of the most gorgeous of summer bulbs is trigridia, sometimes called Mexican shell flower. Plant these bulbs about four inches deep during May in rich soil and full sun.

Even though they normally last only one day they are so unusual and dramatic that a few will cause excited sensation in any garden. Because they have very little foliage and are rather erect-growing, plant them among other plants for bright spots of color. By combining them with caladiums, especially white caladium, beautiful contrasts will be effected. The bulbs will not survive the winter in our section.

Best results are obtained with caladiums by pre-sprouting in trays of wet moss with the growing point pointing down in the moss. Many commercial growers now have these available as seasonal plant material and they can be purchased like other bedding plants. There are many varieties of the fancy leaf variety but the white is proving to be most popular. It is very effective in mass plantings among green ground cover or as facing down” plants in front of broadleaf evergreens or even in combination with ground cover grasses. They are especially effective in planter boxes or raised beds in partial shade. The plants tend to grow better if root bound and respond readily to feeding of liquid food.

Two other flowering bulbs of importance are the dahlia and tuberose. The dahlia will produce untold numbers of blooms with very little attention and will be in production until killing frost occurs. Tuberoses supply a source of very fragrant white blossoms during August. Some people object to the heavy perfume of these flowers but in the cool evening of the garden the perfume is delightful!

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