Thoughts on Summer Flowering Bulb

Ismene – The Spider Lily

Basket-flower and spider-lily are common names for Ismene. This attractive member of the amaryllis family, now listed as Hymenocallis calathtina, originated in the Andes and is a most useful Summer-flowering plant. The curious lily-like blooms look as if some ambitious grower had snipped the edges with a pair of scissors in an effort to improve upon nature. The sturdy, two-foot plants have strap-like foliage and strong stems.

Montbretia

Montbretias might well be called miniature forms of Gladiolus primulinus. Botanically, these Summer-flowering bulbs are known as tritonias. English hybridizers have produced many interesting and striking hybrids from Tritonia crocosmaeora, some of which grow three feet tall.

Set the corms at least three inches deep and six inches apart in full sun. Rich, light soil and liquid manure will produce vigorous flower spikes. Although they are hardy in the milder parts of the East, they are dug and stored over Winter in a frost-proof basement in Northern regions. Deeper planting is essential (six to eight inches) if the bulbs are allowed to remain in the ground over Winter.

Tigridia

Shell-flower and tiger-flower are common names for the tigridia, a bulbous plant from Mexico. Many elaborately tinted hybrids have been developed from the species Tigridia paronia. including combinations of pink, white, lilac, yellow, scarlet, and orange, blotched and spotted with shades of crimson and maroon. Usually the stems are two to two and a half feet tall and do not require staking.

Since the stems are rather stiff and the foliage sparse, tigridias are most effective when planted in shrubs borders or with vigorous-growing perennials like peonies. Groups of them may be massed with pleasing effect in front of white phlox. To further enhance their beauty, they should have the benefit of a foreground planting.

The bulbs or corms are set out in late Spring, four inches deep and six inches apart. Tigridias grow best in full sun. As with other tender bulbous plants, they must be lifted in late Fall.

Related Articles Of Interest:

• A Quick Guide to Choosing and Planting Bulbs
• How To Grow Gladiolus Top Care Tips for Success
• Dahlia Fertilizer and Bulbs in California
• The Hardy Amaryllis Bulbs for Shade – Lycoris Squamigera