In Poland, bulbs and tubers are very popular.Maybe because some of them (snowdrops, snowstorms, snowballs, bulbs, crocuses) herald spring after a long winter?Decorative garlic, checkerboards, onion irises and sapphires are also more and more commonly grown here. However, many species are still little known, so it's worth taking a closer look at the most beautiful of them.
It might be a powerful firstcheckerboard PersianFritillaria persica, growing up to 120 cm, with a long cluster of dark purple (almost black) or white flowers, andcheckerboard MikhailovskyFritillaria michailowskyi, which is only 20 cm high and has purple-yellow flowers.
Then pay attention to the cute, low, yellow-floweredcheckerboard goldenFritillaria aurea andcheckerboard assyryjskąFritillaria assyriaca with brown-red flowers with a yellow border. They bloom in April and May.
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Irys żłkowy Iris reticulata (Photo: Fotolia.com) |
Checkerboards grow best in sunny places, in fertile and well-drained soil, or with good drainage. During the growing season (spring), they require abundant watering and fertilizing.
The next species is flowering inApril kamasjaLeitchlina Camasia leichtlini, which grows up to 1 m, and of a similar height, but flowers a little later because in May,kamasja KusikaCamasia cusickii.In both species, the flowers are gathered in clusters of several dozen star-shaped flowers.Kamasias look beautiful against the background of lawns, deciduous and coniferous shrubs, as well as in perennial beds.They can also be recommended for naturalistic gardens. They grow best in sunny and slightly shaded places.
The single-flower Ipheion uniflorum from the garlic family, rarely found in gardens, also deserves attention. It forms a shoot 15-20 cm long, ending with one light blue or white flower with a sweet smell (it smells like garlic when cut). It blooms in April-May. Eat bulbs are planted on the edges of perennial beds, groups of shrubs and under tall deciduous trees in light and well-drained soil.Requires cover in severe winters.
A little known type of sapphires isgrape multi-fruitMuscari macrocarpum. Its tubular flowers are aquamarine yellow in color, and purple-brown in the buds.This grape hyacinth blooms in April and May. It has thick, fleshy bulbs and long-lasting roots.In May, in the event of drought, it should be watered (this also applies to other species of sapphires) and supplemented with mineral fertilizers.Dry and hot summer promotes abundant flowering in the next year.
The onion irises, colloquially called irises, also deserve a wider spread:iris veinedIris reticulata,irisDanfordaIris danfordiae andirys bucharskiIris bucharica.
