Fall Bulb Planting from a Different 



VieWpoint-By Carl Purdy, 



Cali- 

 fornia 



THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF BULB GROWING TOLD ONCE AGAIN BUT WITH 

 SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE PECULIAR CONDITIONS OF A WARM WINTER- 

 HOW THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST CLIMATE ARE OVERCOME 



B 



Japanese iris 



Y ALL means 

 the bulbs for 

 spring flow- 

 ering should 

 be liberally planted 

 in Northern Califor- 

 nia, Oregon, and 

 Washington. And the gar- 

 dener of Southern Califor- 

 nia need not deny himself 

 this great source of enjoy- 

 ment although he must 

 comply more closely with 

 some] conditions peculiar to 

 this coast. 



On the whole we can 

 grow such bulbs with as 

 good success as is attained East of the 

 Rockies or in Europe. 



Some things we can grow even better, 

 most sorts as well, while there are a few 

 which do not often give us adequate returns. 

 In the cooler portions of Northern Cal- 

 ifornia unusually fine flowers can be grown, 

 while in Oregon and Washington and on up 

 into British Columbia conditions are ideal 

 for the spring flowering bulbs. By South- 

 ern California is meant all of that region 

 south of San Luis Obispo County on the 

 coast and of the Tehachipi Pass in the in- 

 terior; and this would include in Northern 

 California all of the great San Joaquin and 

 Sacramento Valleys as well as the bay and 

 coastal regions. Of climatic conditions 

 there I will speak later. 



Certain broad general rules can be laid 

 down which apply to the culture of such 

 bulbs as tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, crocus, 

 gladiolus and in fact to all bulbous plants 

 which flower early and ripen perfectly 

 every year, and of course form new root 

 systems each season. 



I. The flower for the coming season is 

 already formed in miniature in the bulb 

 that you plant in the fall, and the first es- 

 sential of success lies in buying good bulbs. 

 If a good flower is not already formed in the 

 bulb no care will develop one. 



II. A long season of root development is 

 necessary. If this period is too much 

 shortened even the best bulbs will give 



indifferent results. This is why early 

 planting is advocated by all experienced 

 growers. 



III. The growing bulb must be in soil 

 and conditions which will give the healthi- 

 est growth of root and leaf in order to store 

 up energy for its flowering. 



IV. If the bulbs are to give good results 

 the following year they must have good 

 growing conditions after they flower for 

 a period sufficiently long to allow them to 

 fully develop and ripen; and they must go 

 through their dormant period under such 

 conditions as will not impair their vitality. 



Now, applying these rules, I would first 

 urge the purchase of good bulbs. Buy 

 named sorts, as mixtures are likely to con- 

 tain a large percentage of the cheaper sorts 

 and of bulbs that are off grade. Buy of a 

 reputable dealer and pay a fair price. 



Cheapness and quality go together even 

 less frequently in bulb buying than else- 

 where. No need to buy high priced novelties 

 unless you have money to spare. As fine 

 varieties are to be found among the standard 

 medium priced sorts as among the most 

 expensive novelties. 



In applying the second requirement to 

 the Pacific Coast we must take notice of 

 the peculiar climatic conditions. Through- 

 out Northern California there is very little 

 really cold weather in winter. The rains 

 set in during October or early November 

 and there may be some frost, yet the orange 

 is grown almost everywhere in this great 

 section and in many places in large com- 

 mercial quantities and 26 degrees above is 

 as cold as it often gets. Along the coast 

 and San Francisco Bay region the temper- 

 ature is seldom low enough to injure ger- 

 aniums or calla lilies. Only in the moun- 

 tainous regions is the temperature lower 

 at any time than 20 above, and that seldom. 

 Southern Oregon is little colder while the 

 winters in Northern Oregon and north along 

 up the coast are mild. 



In such a mild winter temperature bulb- 

 ous plants begin making vigorous root 

 growth as soon as they become wet and 

 continue all winter without interruption, 

 and the stems come through the ground 



soon after the first of 

 the year. For this reason, 

 too, very good success 

 can be had with bulbs 

 planted much later than 

 is advisable in colder 

 regions. Bulbs planted 

 as late as January 1st 

 will do well while I have 

 planted in late February 

 and grown superb tulips. • 



I have never seen any 

 advantage in very early 

 planting,_and September Double daffodil sii- 

 planting is impracticable ver Phoenix 

 with us because bulbs 

 shipped from Europe cannot well arrive on 

 this coast earlier than the last week of Sep- 

 tember, and it will not be often that bulbs 

 are in the hands of the planter earlier 

 than the middle of October. And that is 

 quite early enough. 



I can see very little difference between 

 October and November planting; none, 

 excepting with a few sorts such as crocus 

 and Spanish iris whose bulbs do not keep 

 well. I would not intentionally defer plant- 

 ing later than mid-November, yet if I could 

 not get to it earlier I would plant without 

 hesitation as late as Christmas, but no 

 later. As a rule plan to plant as soon after 

 October 10th as conditions will allow. 



The next and all important point is where 

 Californian methods must part company 

 from those of the East and Europe. Keep- 

 ing in mind the mild growing winters of 

 California remember also that, as a rule, Feb- 

 ruary brings a period of quite warm days. 

 From February 27th, 1914, for many days 

 the San Francisco midday temperature 

 was higher than 62 in the shade, while in 

 March a few days passed 90 degrees; and 

 in the interior and in Southern California 

 such periods are still warmer. 



The inevitable result is that bulbs which 

 have a liberal root system will be forced 

 into bloom too rapidly, and that is the 

 rock on which the Californian grower of 

 early tulips and of hyacinths strikes nearly 

 every time, until he learns that they cannot 

 be grown as they are in the East; and it is 



Plant bulbs in groups or masses rather than in straight lines. The pictures (left to right) show the relative quantities and distances to plant hyacinths, gladiolus, and tulips 



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