The bulbous plant is a rather particular flower because it is able to regenerate itself annually: with a little maintenance, you will have the pleasure to see the flower reforming every year. This is made possible thanks to the bulb which allows the plant to protect itself against bad weather conditions.
The bulb is an underground stem that stores food during the winter so that the plant can bloom again the following spring. When the flower fades, the bulb regenerates and then remains active during the cool season. There’s something for everyone: irises, daffodils, tulips, dahlias, crocuses, etc., the list goes on and on, and you just have to plant them!
Contents
14 plants that come from a bulb
1. Garlic
This perennial is a condiment plant, bulbous. Its head is composed of several pods or cloves. Its long leaves are of pale green color.
Garlic has antiseptic, antispasmodic, aperitive, aphrodisiac, disinfectant, digestive, nutritive, stimulating and tonic properties.
2. Bear’s garlic
Bear’s garlic (Allium ursinum) of the Alliaceae family, is a bulbous perennial of cool and shady undergrowth, with white flowers, from 8 to 20 inches high, native to Europe and Asia.
In recent years, bear’s garlic, long forgotten, has regained popularity, thanks to its high vitamin C content and its slimming properties.
3. Anemone
Used both in the ground and in containers to brighten up your plantings thanks to its wide range of bright colors, the anemone also offers the opportunity to compose magnificent bouquets of flowers in cheerful combinations of tones for festive events.
Potted anemones are rustic and can be easily stored on a terrace, balcony or windowsill.
4. Camassia
The genus Camassia has 6 species. Only Camassia quamash, Camassia leichtinii and Camassia cuzickii are commonly cultivated through various cultivars that differ in flower color and size of their flower stems.
With the larger varieties, you can make beautiful bouquets of cut flowers in May and June.
5. Chives
Chives, a superb aromatic plant, is a favorite in the vegetable garden, the garden, the terrace and the balcony. It is an essential herb to spice up our dishes. Very easy to grow, it has, in addition, aperitive and digestive virtues.
Of average growth, its bloom spreads from the end of spring to summer, according to the climate.
6. Shallot
Intimately linked to the French terroir, according to some, inseparable from French gastronomy, the shallot is easily cultivated throughout France and its gustatory quality makes it an appreciated condiment, indispensable in the vegetable garden.
Appreciated for its beneficial action on the cardiovascular system (improvement of blood fluidity and maintenance of a low sugar level), shallots are traditionally attributed digestive properties (it is said to “open the appetite”) and choleretic properties (favourable to biliary secretion).
7. Gladiolus
The gladiolus is very easy to grow and makes beautiful bouquets. In a garden, on a balcony or a terrace, its magnificent flowers will decorate your beds as well as your flowerbeds by their varied, punctuated or streaked colors.
It blooms from June to September, even October for some varieties, and its size can reach up to 4 ft.
8. Iris
Perennial plant with rhizomes or bulb, the iris is part of the Iridaceae family and the Iris genus.
Its abundant flowering offers a beautiful and rare palette of colors. Requiring little care, the iris is very appreciated by gardeners. Elegant, it integrates magnificently well in beds, rock gardens or borders and forms superb bouquets.
9. Hyacinth
Hyacinth is very easy to grow. It is appreciated as a houseplant for a winter bloom (in forced culture), or in the garden to decorate beds and rock gardens in spring.
The flowers are also used in cooking and confectionery.
Attention: if its flowers are edible, its bulbs are on the other hand very toxic.
10. Narcissus
The narcissus offers a real show in the gardens or in the window box when they are planted in clumps or in groups. It is a very beautiful flower most often of yellow color but sometimes white and with easy maintenance.
It is native to Western Europe. It is a bulbous, perennial, hardy plant. It has solitary or grouped flowers, ranging from golden yellow to pure white, with a central bell-shaped or cup-shaped crown.
11. Peacock’s eye
Peacock’s eye (Tigridia pavonia) is a bulbous perennial that is sublime in summer with its large, exotic flowers in shimmering colors. Sunshine and heat galore, drained soil and protection from the cold allow it to last for many years.
The peacock’s eye can be grown in the ground or in a pot. Prefer this last mode of culture except mild climate.
12. Onion
Both a vegetable and an aromatic, the onion is indispensable in our kitchen. Easy to grow, they come in many shapes and colors and can be eaten fresh or dried. It is also considered to have many benefits.
Onions are one of the best vegetable sources of selenium, a relatively rare trace element, which promotes the immune system and is essential in the fight against cell aging.
13. Tulbaghia
Tulbaghia flowers are edible and have a fairly strong garlic flavor despite their honey-like scent. Three to five flowers are enough for a salad, or one to two per side when presenting the salad on a plate.
The leaves of the plant also flavour salads. The young, still tender leaves should be picked by cutting them off at the base and chopped finely. Be careful not to use too much or you will end up with a salad that is too strong in taste.
14. Tulip
The tulip is a member of the Liliaceae family. It has several flower shapes, many colors and blooms at different times. Their beautiful and decorative bloom starts in March. They can also be made into beautiful bouquets.
Nowadays, the tulip is one of the world’s leading crops, both as bulbs and as cut flowers.
Where and when to plant bulbs?
Bulbous plants prefer sunny or even semi-shaded areas, although some varieties can be satisfied with a shaded area. These plants bloom in spring like hyacinths, or in fall like dahlias.
For spring bloomers, it is recommended to place them in the ground between September and November. Fall flowering bulbs are planted in April-May, once the last frosts have passed. The bulbs can be placed next to each other in the ground, while they will have to be more spaced if they are planted in pots.
How to plant bulbs?
- Prepare the area to be planted by weeding and cleaning
- In a pot, lay out a layer of clay balls and cover with potting soil
- Push the bulbs three times their height into the soil, tips up.
- In autumn, it is not necessary to water, in spring it is!
What to do once the flowering is over?
There are two types of bulbs:
- Bulbs that stay in place, so you don’t have to dig them up once the flowers have faded.
- Bulbs that need to be dug up because they can’t stand frost or because their bloom is fading.
For the bulbs which remain in place, it is enough to cut them with flush once the flowers and sheets entirely dry. This step is crucial because it is the drying of all the foliage which allows the regeneration of the bulb and thus its next bloom.
To remove the bulbs during the winter, also wait until the foliage is dry. Here are the steps to follow:
- Pull out the bulbs with a spade fork
- Then let them dry in the sun for a day.
- Cut off the foliage and roots before brushing.
- If there are any bulblets (tiny bulbs attached to the mother bulb), you can harvest them for cultivation. Harvesting bulblets is part of the bulb propagation methods.
- Store them in a wooden box in a dry, cool and dark place.
- You can replant them the following spring or fall.
