Summer Flowering Bulbs
By Joan Bonnette
Summer and fall flowering bulbs come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. Using
them in your garden is a great way to add more variety to your perennial and annual
plants. They can be planted in the ground or used in containers to add color to decks and
patios.
Some of these bulbs are winter hardy to our area. Others require being dug up in the fall
and stored indoors for the winter. If you choose not to overwinter them, they can just be
treated as annuals and new ones can be purchased every year. However, if you do dig
them up, it is more economical and they will last for years.
These bulbs need well-drained soil with plenty of water and fertilizer to thrive. They
should not be planted outside until the soil temperatures are above 55 degrees and all
danger of frost has past. They can be started indoors earlier to get a jump start on the
season.
Summer and fall flowering bulbs need to be actively fertilized throughout the growing
season. When planting them add super phosphate or bonemeal to the soil right below
where they are being planted. This will help promote root growth and give them a boost
to get growing. To keep them blooming add 3 to 4 tablespoons of a 10-10-10 fertilizer to
every 10 feet of garden space once a month.
Planting depth for the bulbs varies greatly. Check your package directions for the proper
depth requirements. A general rule of thumb for watering is about one inch of water a
week. Keep track of the rainfall amounts to make sure you just supplement to get the
correct amount of water for the bulbs.
Some tall growing bulbs like dahlias and gladioli will need to be staked to keep the plants
upright. It is also best to a 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch to keep down weeds and hold in
moisture.
For bulbs that are not hardy to our zone, they will need to be dug up at the end of the
growing season. They should be pulled up when the leaves start to turn yellow in the fall.
Be careful not to damage the bulbs when you dig them. Let the foliage die off and the soil
to dry out around the clumps before storing. Cut off the dead foliage and shake off the
excess soil before they are put into winter storage. The bulbs can be placed with dry peat
moss and stored in paper bags. They should be stored in a dark place where the
temperature stays between 40 and 60 degrees.
Summer bulbs can be purchased locally or through catalogs. Generally the catalogs carry
better quality ones than are available at the box type of stores, but they will also tend to
be more expensive. Here are two mail order businesses that carry top quality goods:
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com; Dutch Gardens,
www.dutchgardens.com;
Alstroemeria, Peruvian Lily, wonderful cut flower
 Full sun to partial shade
 Space 1’’apart
 Planting depth 6” to 10”
 Height, 2 to 4 feet
 Hardy to Zone 5 with deep planting and a deep layer of winter mulch
 Great cut flower, condition stem in water for several hours before arranging in a vase
 Companion plants: marigold, coral bells with dark foliage, ageratum, daisy, baby’s
breath
Begonia, long blooming
 Partial shade to shade
 Space 1 per square foot or 3 in a 15” pot
 Planting depth, ½” of soil over tuber, hollow side up
 Height, 8 to 12 inches, depending on variety
 Not hardy to our area, dig and store in fall or treat as annual
 Companion plants: interplant with shade lovers like tiarella, small leaved hosta, ajuga,
coral bells, caladium
Caladium, grown for colorful leaves
 Partial to full shade
 Space 6” to 12” apart
 Planting depth, 2” to 3”
 Height, 8 to 16 inches, depending on variety
 Not hardy, dig in fall or treat as annual
 Companion plants: impatiens, colocasia, begonia, lobelia, lysimachia
Canna, Long blooming, self cleaning (don’t have to dead-head)
 Full sun to part shade
 Space, large cannas: 18”, small cannas: 12:
 Depth, 2” to 4”
 Height, 2 to 5 feet, depending on variety
 Not hardy, dig in fall or treat as annuals
 Companion plants: Dahlia, liatris, zinnia, ornamental grasses, coleus, helichrysum,
rudbeckia
Colocasia, Elephant Ears, grown for stunning large leaves
 Sun to partial shade
 Space 18” to 24” apart
 Depth, 4’ to 6”
 Height, 8 inches to 4 feet, depending on variety
 Not hardy, dig in fall
 Companion plants: canna, ornamental grasses, can be used in a water garden,
caladium, impatiens
Crocosmia, ‘Lucifer’, Sword Lily, stunning red flowers
 Full sun to light shade
 Space 4” to 5’’ apart
 Depth, 3” to 5”
 Height, 24 to 36 inches
 Hardy to Zone 5 with heavy winter mulch
 Companion plants: dahlia, rudbeckia, daisy, canna, ageratum, osteospermum
Dahlia, long season of blooms, till first fall frost
 Full sun to partial shade
 Space, large: 18’ to 24”; small: 12” to 18”
 Depth, crown 1” below soil level
 Height, 8 inches to over 4 feet, depending on variety
 Not hardy, dig up or treat as annual
 Companion plants: roses, cleome, liatris, verbascum, verbena, artemisia
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Eucomis autumnalis, Pineapple Lily
Flowering time: midsummer
Spacing: 12” to 18” Height: 18” to 24”
Full sun to part shade
Not hardy in our area, dig up
Good in a container as a thriller
Companion plants: perilla, purple basil, annuals and perennials
Gladiolus, plant in one to two week intervals for longer bloom
 Full sun
 Space, 4” to 5” apart
 Depth, 6’ to 8”
 Height, 18 to 36 inches
 Not hardy, dig in fall or treat as annual
 Companion plants: daisy, cosmos, dahlia, zinnia
Hemerocallis, Daylily, re-blooming varieties available
 Full sun to partial shade
 Space, 12” to 18”
 Depth, crown at soil level
 Height, 12 to 18 inches
 Hardy to Zone 3
 Companion plants: scaevola, dianthus, daisy, zinnia, geranium, lamium, salvia
Oxalis, Wood Sorrel, blooms all summer
 Full sun to shade
 Space 2” to 4”
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Depth, 1’’ to 2”
Height, 6 to 8 inches
Not hardy, can treat as a houseplant in winter or as an annual
Companion plants: artemisia, ajuja, ferns, coral bells, tiarella, torenia
Zantedeschia, Calla Lily, mid to late summer bloom
 Full sun to partial shade
 Space, 6” to 7” apart
 Depth, 5” to 6”
 Height, 8 to 24 inches, depending on variety
 Not hardy, over winter in cool dark place in pot, water sparingly
 Companion plants: caladium, phlox, malva, daisy, ornamental grasses, coleus