Best bulbs to plant this fall: our top five picks for brilliant spring color
Sunset, Oct, 2006
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
What they're like Our favorites How to display
...
SPECIES Slender and Blossoms of Tulipa For a big show
TULIP lovely, Lady, or clusiana chrysantha next spring, plant
Candy, tulips are (at left) are rose three dozen bulbs
pale yellow or carmine on the 2 inches deep in a
white inside, red outside and bright shallow,
to magenta yellow inside. Or 15-inch-wide
outside; they grow for yellow terra-cotta
6 to 9 inches star-shaped flowers container. These
tall. with white tips, try tulips grow
T. tarda. anywhere and
usually come back
year after year
even in
mild-winter
climates.
DARWIN Darwin hybrids are With 2-foot stems, All three
HYBRID the tallest, 'Pink Impression' varieties are
largest-flowered makes the best pink. pretty in beds
tulips. The For a flame-colored with blue
cup-shaped blooms Darwin hybrid, try forget-me-nots, or
hold well in a 'Beauty of massed in
vase, making them Apeldoorn' (at containers. They
ideal for cutting. left). 'Daydream' tend to
Most are in the opens yellow and perennialize
scarlet-orange to matures to orange. better than most
red range, but tulips if they get
pink, yellow, and enough winter
white varieties chill (six weeks
are also under
available. 45[degrees]). In
mild-winter areas,
chill bulbs in the
refrigerator for
six weeks before
planting.
PARROT Like parrots, 'Blue Parrot' (at Plant bulbs
TULIP these tulips come left) has mauve-blue shoulder to
in brilliant hues flowers on 18-inch shoulder in a 16-
(some are striped stems. 'Estella or
and flamed in Rijnveld' is even 18-inch-diameter
various colors); more flamboyant, pot, or in drifts
petals have with red-and-white behind white or
ruffled or flowers on 20-inch purple violas.
feathery edges. stems. For red Before planting in
Big flowers are splashed with green, mild-winter
easily animated in try the 20-inch-tall climates, chill
the wind. 'Rococo'. the bulbs for six
weeks. *
APRICOT Naturally yellow 'Apricot Lace' (at Pretty when massed
DAFFODIL or white, left) has a divided, in pots or
daffodils apricot-colored combined with
sometimes come corona framed violas in antique
with a salmon, against a white shades of apricot
apricot, or coral perianth (outer and blue.
corona (the cup in petals) on 14-inch Daffodils grow and
the center of the stems. For a salmon perennialize
flower). They trumpet against anyplace there's
stand up to cold yellow outer petals, even modest winter
and are easy to try the 18-inch chill.
grow. 'Lorikeet'.
DUTCH Growing 2 feet For blue, try Mass irises among
IRIS tall from 'Professor Blaauw'; low ornamental
rush-like foliage, for magenta purple, grasses for a
Dutch irises are 'Purple Sensation' meadow effect. Or
marked by clear, (at left); for mix them in pots
intense colors yellow, 'Royal with yellow
such as deep blue, Yellow'. violas. They grow
purple, and in all but the
orange, usually coldest parts of
with a yellow the West and
blotch on the naturalize even in
falls (the petals mild climates.
that drape off the
sides of each
flower).
* GO ONLINE FOR SOURCES AND CHILLING TIPS: www.sunset.com/bulbs
COPYRIGHT 2006 Sunset Publishing Corp.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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