No longer do we in the Lower South envy our northern neighbors for masses of narcissus that grow larger each year.
Now, as the result of much experimentation and observation, we can put on a good show of our own.
The show starts in late December with the fragrant Paper White narcissus in the coastal sections and continues without interruption through March. Further inland, the season is not so early but just as long.
Naturalizing Narcissus on The Coastal Sections
We have learned through trial and error that along the Gulf and South Atlantic Coasts, our best chance for success in naturalizing narcissus is to limit our choice to named varieties of the species tazetta, triandrus, odors, jonquilla, and poetics, and simply grow the more spectacular trumpet types like Mt. Hood and Unsurpassable as annuals.
Paper White, Soleil d’Or, Silver Chimes, Laurens Koster, Thalia, Trevithian, February Gold, and Geranium are some of the varieties to look for. Small cupped Actaea is an outstanding white and yellow.
For those who like doubles, Twink is a lovely yellow, and Cheerfulness a fine white. The selection is almost limitless when you get away from the coastal plains and into the colder sections of the South and Southwest, where drainage is better.
Tulips in Warm Climates
The tulip story in the Lower South is different but just as fascinating as the daffodil one. Thanks to the Associated Bulb Growers of Holland, gardeners can now flower tulips on long stems in areas where it was formerly thought impossible.
Their scientists at Lisse, Holland, have been working hard to perfect tulip bulbs that will perform well in warm climates.
Several years ago, during a visit to the Laboratorium Voor Bloembollen-Onderzoek, I was told by the director, Professor E. Van Slogteren, that science had just about won its fight against insects and disease and was trying to overcome climatic obstacles to enlarge the bulb market.
They were growing tulip bulbs under conditions simulating a subtropical climate and, upon maturity, stored them at varying degrees before shipping them for actual trial in the area where they were grown.
It has been my privilege to try a quantity of these pre-treated bulbs in the New Orleans area, a section where, previously, if tulips flowered at all, the stems were so short the results were not worth the effort.
I have received 16,000 tulip bulbs in three seasons, representing 30 varieties. Half of each variety had been stored before shipping at 41° and a half at 62° degrees Fahrenheit.
Those who had received the colder treatment gave better results. The stems measured from 20” to 29” inches at flowering time, and some bulbs sent up more than one flower stem.
Successful Tulip Planting in New Orleans
Last spring, the New Orleans Parkway Department produced an extraordinary showing of 28,000 tulips, which met every specification for a good tulip display. These bulbs were obtained from Holland in late October 1958.
Upon arrival, the bulbs were placed in cold storage between 34° and 40° degrees Fahrenheit for 8 weeks and then planted 6″ inches deep. Their flowering period lasted about three weeks-—roughly the last two in February and March 1.
They were about 20 to 22 inches tall when in full bloom. It seems safe to assume that this can be done in other parts of the South where tulips have been bypassed in favor of more dependable bulbs.
We have not tried to carry over the bulbs from one season to the next, being content to enjoy them while they last and to reorder every fall. The only one that comes back for us is the lady tulip, T. clusiana.
Tips For Successful Tulip Planting in The Lower South
I believe that skeptics will be convinced they can succeed with tulips even in the Lower South if they plant only early flowering varieties to enjoy flowers before warm weather arrives and follow these suggestions:
1. Refrigerate bulbs for sixty days before planting. Some distributors do this for you and send the plants at planting time.
2. Plant from December 1 to January 1 in rich, well-drained soil in a sunny spot.
3. Set bulbs only 6 inches deep. I understand that Florida gardeners succeed with 12-inch planting, but this probably is due to the unusually good drainage their sandy soil provides.
4. Water the beds well after planting and then withhold water until foliage appears. If watering is needed after growth starts, apply it to the soil only, for water collected in the cuplike foliage where buds appear seems to increase the possibility of sunscald on occasional hot winter days.
5. Check for aphids and spray with nicotine sulfate or lindane if they appear.
Acclimating Bulbs in City Gardens
When we consider how far away from home most bulbs are when they reach our gardens, we should not expect all of them to stay with us indefinitely.
Many are native to North Africa and the Mideast, where they flower after seasonal rains and rest through long, dry spells.
City gardeners probably have greater difficulty acclimatizing bulbs than country or estate gardeners because they water freely and weed so faithfully that the bulbs’ dormant period is disturbed and shortened.
We can help our bulbs, including narcissus, tulips, and the little ones like muscari and bodies, by giving them a complete fertilizer before the foliage dies down after flowering and then leaving them alone.
If they do not return under this treatment, the plantings made in the following years should be dug when the foliage dies down and stored until fall.
44659 by Camilla B. Truax