Autumn Flowering Bulbs, The Unappreciated Gems of The Fall Garden

Photo via Wickipedia      Belladonna Lilies, Jersey Lilies or Naked Ladies

            As the school bells ring once again, and the sharp woodsy scents of autumn fill the air; smoke lazily drifts up from chimneys that lie below us in the valley, the garden begins to take on a forlorn, bedraggled look with a just a few chrysanthemums and asters to highlight the drab canvas. When the word bulb is mentioned most of us think of spring, with showy daffodils and tulips, but one shouldn’t forget there are many fall flowering bulbs to plant and enjoy in the short weeks before winter lays its icy hand upon the land.

            Everyone is familiar with the florist’s cyclamen, but there are many stunning autumn flowering types of hardy cyclamen. The unusual shooting star-like flowers begin appearing during the lazy weeks of late fall. When planting, find a spot that is pretty much bare during these months, making sure it has good drainage, and is in a protected corner. The Florist cyclamen is an offspring of a Mediterranean plant. They sprout from tubers. The blossoms come in shades of pink, rose-purple, and white on stems only 2 to 4 inches high. When choosing a cyclamen be sure to select one with only a few flowers open. The flower stems should stand straight up, and there should be lots of buds tucked underneath the foliage to develop and bloom later.

            You might not be familiar with Colchicums which although they resemble the autumn crocus, they differ in the fact that they have double the number of stamens, have wide leaves like the hosta, where crocuses have tall skinny grass-like leaves. One of the most favored is a hybrid known as ‘Waterlily’, whose five broad, ruffled, Lilliputian flowers of rosy-lilac add a dashing splash of color to the fall garden. Colchicum autumnale ‘Nancy Lindsay‘ is a bright pink/purple variety. Colchicum byzantinum, has stunning pristine white to lilac starred cup-shaped blossoms. Colchicum szovitsii ‘Tivi’, is a white bloom with a yellow yoke that resembles a miniature white oriental lily. These also require a protected spot, under trees or shrubs, near the edge of flower beds, or tuck them into a rock garden.