The Home Greenhouse
Brilliant masses of bloom are yours when you plan to include bulbs - daffodils
, hyacinths, tulips, iris and lilies - in your winter greenhouse program. The bulbs you pot up between now and the middle of November will practically take care of themselves and before you know it reward you with plenty of flowers. Select the varieties you want and plant them now.
All of these bulbs will thrive in almost any sandy soil which drains well; good topsoil from the garden is satisfactory. Do not add manure or fertilizers which have a high nitrogen content or roots will develop poorly in the early stages of growth. If you want to develop the bulbs for growing on the following year, however, a complete fertilizer high in phosphorus and potash such as 5-10-10 may be added ( a 3-inch potful to a bushel of soil).
Plant daffodils in clay bulb pans for good potted specimens or in 4-inch seed flats for cut flowers. Set the bulbs as close together as possible, with their noses protruding slightly from the soil. Varieties which we have found suitable for forcing are Actaea, Carlton, Fortune, Golden Harvest. Imperator, Sir Watkins and King Alfred.
Hyacinths are planted in shallow pans and treated in the same way. We always pot a few singly in 4-inch pots; they make excellent gifts for friends. Varieties such as King of the . Blues, La Victoire. Pink Pearl and City of Haarlem and L'Innocence give us a full range of colors.
Tulip bulbs are set 1/2 inch deep, with five or six 'of them to a 6-inch pan. If the flat side of the bulb is placed to the outside of the pan, the leaf that develops on that side will hang over the edge, giving a graceful effect. When grown in seed flats for cut flowers, bulbs are spaced 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart. Recommended varieties for winter flowering include Glacier. a large pure white; Niphetos, a soft yellow; Princess Elizabeth Maxima, rosy pink; Rose Copeland, lilac-rose; and William Pitt, a scarlet.
Daffodils, tulips and hyacinths may be stored together for making roots in a coldframe, bulb cellar or a simple garden trench. Place the pots or flats singly or in tiers with spaces in between. Cover with two or three inches of sand, ashes or sawdust; this provides a dividing layer that makes it easier to remove the containers during the winter. Wet down the covering with a hose and place an 8- to 12-inch layer of straw or salt hay on top to prevent hard freezing. The best storage temperature is 46 but a temperature between 45 and 50 degrees is suitable. In 8 to 10 weeks the bulbs will develop strong root systems and may be moved into the greenhouse, where they will flower in from four to six weeks, depending upon the inside temperature. Flowers will bloom later in a cool to moderate greenhouse (50 to 55 degrees) than in a warm house (60 degrees), but will make stronger and better blooms. By bringing them into the greenhouse at two- to three-week intervals you will have a succession of blooms until spring.
Bulbous iris may be handled like tulips, with a similar succession of bloom assured. The popular light blue Wedgwood makes a beautiful contrast with daffodils in spring bouquets and is very easy to grow. Hint: another one of my
backyard landscaping ideas. Bulbs are usually planted in flats about 3 inches apart and stored in the same manner as tulips at a temperature of from 45 to 50 degrees. It will be three to four months before they bloom. Other iris commonly grown under glass include the dark blue Imperator, White Excelsior and Yellow Queen, although they take longer to bloom, appearing in late February.
Lilies such as Croft, Estate and Peerless may be planted in the same ordinary soil as the hardy bulbs, but they require feedings of nitrogenous fertilizer to keep them healthy and vigorous after growth. In place of watering, a teaspoon of ammonium sulphate or nitrate of soda mixed with a gallon of water and applied every ten days pushes them up and helps to prevent yellowing of foliage. We pot the bulbs in sixes and store them in a coldframe, covering them in the same way as the hardy bulbs. In December we move them into the greenhouse so that they will not be touched by frost.
Tender bulbs such as Paperwhite narcissus go right into the greenhouse bench. We like to grow about 100 of them because the blooms are large when grown under glass and come in early, making a nice display in the greenhouse when there are no other bulbs in flower. Of course they do well in any kind of planting medium soil, sand, pebbles or whatever you wish - and bloom within four to five weeks after planting. For a succession of blooms, put them in lots of 15 to 20 but do not keep them too long, for the bulbs become soft after the turn of the year.
Green fly is the only pest which will seriously affect your bulb plants; tulips, lilies and hyacinths are more susceptible than daffodils. It can be easily controlled with any good fumigant or spray. We use Nicofume or spray with nicotine sulphate and soap.
Timely Greenhouse Tips
Begonias: Plants started in September should now be ready for 4-inch pots.
Calendulas, scabiosa, snapdragons and sweet peas: Sow in October for blooms in March.
Delphiniums: Pot up root clumps and store in a coldframe for forcing in December.
Genistas: Take soft wood cuttings.
Geraniums: There is still time to take cuttings for spring-blooming plants.
Pansies: Plants in 3-inch pots from seed sown in August should be ready to transfer to 5-inch pots.
Salpiglossis: For April blooms, sow seed now. Bench in December.
Also, remember to store caladiums, gloxinias and achimenes under the bench after the leaves have dried off. Top-dress or repot spring-blooming plants such as bougainvillea, oleander, strelitzia, hoya, etc. Remove all shading and bring in a good supply of soil, clean pots, pans and seed flats. Do not neglect to wire, stake or tie tall plants such as carnations and chrysanthemums.
by: Thomas Fryd.
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