Living Well 60+ September-October 2014
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SEPT/OCT 2 0 1 4<br />
1 5<br />
GARDENING<br />
Conquering Separation<br />
Anxiety in the Fall Garden<br />
Keep your summer bulbs at their<br />
bloomin’ best<br />
by Frank Kourt,<br />
Staff Writer<br />
You may not want<br />
to hear about spring<br />
and summer blooming<br />
plants right now.<br />
It is, after all, nearly fall, and aren’t<br />
we done with all that?<br />
<strong>Well</strong>, not really. Not, that is, if<br />
you want your summer bulbs to<br />
be happy and healthy and at their<br />
bloomin’ best.<br />
It may seem like the simplest<br />
thing in the world to plant bulbs,<br />
but over the years, you may well find<br />
your efforts have been too successful.<br />
By that I mean the bulbs tend to<br />
multiply, and when that happens,<br />
they have to be dug up, separated<br />
and re-planted elsewhere if you<br />
expect them to bloom the next year.<br />
A good case in point is the<br />
venerable iris. For several years, we<br />
planted irises in half whiskey barrels,<br />
and they’ve rewarded us with<br />
beautiful, delicate blooms. This year,<br />
though, not so much. The trouble is<br />
the rhizomes have grown too close<br />
together, resulting in no blooms.<br />
This means they have to be dug up,<br />
separated and re-planted before<br />
the cold conditions of <strong>October</strong> and<br />
November hold sway.<br />
In order to do this, it’s best to lift<br />
the crowded irises out of the ground<br />
in a clump, if possible. If that’s not<br />
going to work, you’re going to<br />
Iris bulbs separated and<br />
ready to plant.<br />
have to break the giant clump into<br />
smaller ones.<br />
Next, brush as much dirt away<br />
from the rhizomes as you can and<br />
break the clumps apart into pieces<br />
about 4 inches long. Each rhizome<br />
should have at least one fan of leaves<br />
on it. Those that have no leaves can<br />
be discarded. Make sure you keep<br />
the roots in each rhizome intact.<br />
Once you have your separate rhizomes,<br />
you can trim the leaves back<br />
to about 6 inches.<br />
Now find a sunny spot with<br />
well-drained soil and dig your hole<br />
and plant the rhizome just below<br />
ground level, spreading the roots<br />
and spacing them about a foot and a<br />
half apart. Cover the rhizomes with<br />
loose, rich soil, allowing the leaf fans<br />
to protrude from the ground, and<br />
water them well.<br />
Daffodils may experience similar<br />
problems, while tulips seem less<br />
likely to crowd. If you noticed your<br />
daffodil blooms underperforming<br />
last spring, it may well be that, like<br />
iris rhizomes, the bulbs have multiplied<br />
to the point where blooming is<br />
impeded.<br />
If you know where your daffodils<br />
are buried, you should have no<br />
problem digging them up and separating<br />
the bulbs for re-planting. Unfortunately,<br />
at this time of year, the<br />
foliage may have died back to the<br />
point where you can no longer find<br />
their resting place. Don’t despair;<br />
you’ll just have to wait until spring,<br />
when the foliage comes back, and<br />
mark the spot for easy identification<br />
next fall.<br />
Assuming you do know where<br />
your daffs are buried, just dig them<br />
up and separate the bulbs. Replant<br />
the largest bulbs in well-drained<br />
soil in a sunny spot about 5 inches<br />
below the soil’s surface, making sure<br />
the pointed end is facing up. Space<br />
them about 4 to 5 inches apart.<br />
Here’s an example of iris crowding that needs to be remedied.<br />
Water thoroughly, then cover with<br />
about 3 inches of mulch to protect<br />
the bulbs from the cold and keep<br />
them moist.<br />
In the less likely event you have a<br />
tulip-crowding problem, dig up the<br />
bed and separate the bulbs, leaving<br />
some in the original spot. Plant your<br />
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tulip bulbs about 8 inches deep,<br />
drop in a generous amount of peat<br />
moss and add some bulb fertilizer.<br />
Cover them up with soil and water<br />
well.<br />
If all goes well, you’ll be greeted<br />
by a whole new set of blooms next<br />
summer!<br />
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