Report on "Planting and Growing Summer Flowering Bulbs" talk

Denmead Horticultural Society

Tim Woodland: Planting and Growing Summer Bulbs

On Tuesday 3rd February our gardening year began with a talk by Tim Woodland on planting and growing summer bulbs. Tim is from ‘Direct Bulbs’ in Winchester. Bulbs have been his life since 1985, so he had a lot of knowledge to pass on.

He talked about dahlias, from dwarf varieties to the massive Dahlia Imperialis which can grow 16 feet tall. Dahlias are being bred for smaller gardens, and to attract pollinators, since this is what modern gardeners want. They need warm soil and can only be planted outside when all danger of frost has passed. The new shoots need slug protection until they are a hardy 6 inches tall.

Traditionally, dahlias are dug up every year and stored, but if they are in free-draining soil and protected with mulch, they can over-winter outdoors. Tim stressed that this was slightly risky, so if you had a particularly precious dahlia, it was safer to bring it in.

He moved on to lilies. These are less popular than they were, partly due to the problem of lily beetles. These pests can be destroyed in hibernation. They hibernate in the top inch of soil around lilies, so get rid of that soil! Any surviving beetles should be manually collected, since pesticides harm other wildlife.

He displayed two lily bulbs of different sizes. The science of growing these is so precise that a bulb with a circumference of 12 -14cm will produce a stem with 3 to 4 flowers on it, while a bulb with a girth of 16 -18cm will produce 6 to 7 flowers. As the bulb grows larger, its stem will produce more and more flowers.

Lilies are hardy and should be planted between November and February. In Holland, they are stored frozen. Thirteen weeks after defrosting and planting, they flower!

Tim showed us lilies in a vast range of colours. The Trumpet, Oriental and Orienpet varieties are fragrant. Oriental lilies are known as tree-lilies, since they grow up to 8ft tall if left undisturbed.

Many summer flowers have unfair reputations for being difficult. Cannas and gladioli may need attention in their first year to ensure they get consistent heat, but once established, they will thrive. A tip for a succession of gladioli blooms is to plant some 10cm deep, and some 20cm deep. The shallower ones will flower first, followed by the deeper ones.

Drainage is important with summer bulbs as few tolerate damp conditions. Depth of planting can help. Bulbs should be planted at a depth of three times their height. However, in sandy soils, they can be planted more deeply, and in heavy clay they prefer a shallower hole.

Tim advised us to look online as well as shopping locally, since many exotic but hardy bulbs were not available ‘off the shelf’.

The Flower Of the Month competition was won by Marilyn Brady with a beautiful double snowdrop.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday 3rd March at 7.15: Darren Everest, a Chelsea exhibitor, talks about ‘A Year in the life of a Multi-Season Showman’.

Saturday 4th April at 1pm: Spring Show, The schedule is on-line here or paper copies available at Parkers.

Our website lists forthcoming speakers, events and show schedules,

You can see our list of talks on our programme page

Guests always welcome (£2.00). Doors open at 7.15pm when refreshments are served. The meeting starts at 7.30pm.