Experts Agree Fall-Planted Bulbs Grown for Cut Flowers Give Vegetable Beds an Extra Season
PHILADELPHIA , Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- With millions of new gardeners, both vegetable, and cut-flower gardens are seeing a resurgence in popularity. For gardeners struggling to choose between cut flowers or edibles, Flowerbulbs.com has a solution.
Traditionally, fall-planted bulbs like tulips, daffodils, and alliums are a landscape favorite because they come back year after year. But for gardeners looking to get more out of their vegetable beds, these varieties can be grown as annuals and enjoyed as cut flowers, brightening a space that is usually bare. Instead of looking at an empty bed, fill it with colorful blooms that can be cut and made into bouquets for sharing with friends and family. Focus on varieties that bloom in early spring in order to have them finished before vegetables need to be planted.
If the past two years have taught us anything else, it's that relationships are the most important things in daily life, making gift-giving much more meaningful. Europeans have long had a tradition of giving flowers as gifts, and nothing makes people feel more special. From small arrangements to big bouquets, handpicked flowers from at-home cutting gardens will be the go-to gift.
Some of the best spring-flowering bulbs for bouquets and tips on arranging them include:
- Tulips — Tulip stems continue to grow after they've been cut, giving them a dynamic look in arrangements that continue to evolve in a vase. Err on cutting stems on the shorter side to avoid unwanted flopping in smaller arrangements. They will turn to face the light, so keep that in mind with elaborate arrangements. For the best performance, tulips should be cut when the buds are still mostly green.
- Daffodils — Cut daffodils when the buds have just started to open. If mixing with other flower varieties, rinse the sap out of the stems by soaking them in water for about 20 to 30 minutes. After rinsing, arrange them in fresh water.
- Alliums — For the longest vase life, cut alliums when about a third of the individual flowers that make up the head has opened. Change the water frequently and take care when trimming the stems, because they release a sap that can stain.
- Camassia — These bulbs will tolerate more dampness than many others. Cut the very straight stems of camassia when the lowest flowers being to open.
- Hyacinth — Like many kinds of tulips, these can be best treated as an annual. Committing to this allows you to dig up the entire bulb, wash the soil off, and remove the leaves but leave the bulb attached even in the vase. This will make for a long flower life. Dig when the florets are all showing color, and the flower will continue to grow larger in the vase.
Not only will gardeners enjoy an extra season for the same amount of space, but pollinators need spring flowers to provide an early food source after a long winter. So for gardeners making a plan for their summer vegetable gardens, consider adding spring-flowering bulbs to their beds this fall and enjoy double the reward in the spring.
This Campaign is financed with aid from the European Union.
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SOURCE Flowerbulbs.com
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