How to care for bulb flowers in summer? Plus recommendations for beautiful and easy-to-grow varieties
Summer is here, and your bulb flowers at home shouldn't"give up"! Bulb flowers are prized for their unique forms and brilliant colors, but summer heat poses a considerable challenge to their growth. Master the right care methods and choose the right varieties, and your home can be full of blooms all summer long.
Rain lily:just from the name you can tell how tough it is. After a heavy rain it will sprout flower buds, a true blooming workhorse! When planting, bury the bulbs shallowly in the soil, water thoroughly, and place in a sunny spot. With hardly any care, you'll see small pink and yellow flower clusters every few days, incredibly soothing.
Amaryllis:Amaryllis is also super suitable for beginners! Its bulb looks like a big onion, and after planting20days or so it will send up a flower scape, blooming with flowers bigger than your face! There are so many colors, single or double, take your pick. In summer, as long as it gets plenty of light, water and fertilizer, it can bloom several times a year, incredible value for money!
Dahlia:Dahlia, with its ethereal and grand flower forms, blooms from summer into autumn! Its bulb looks like small claws. When planting, apply plenty of base fertilizer, such as sheep manure or slow-release fertilizer, and later it will keep sprouting new shoots and blooming. Moreover, dahlias are especially suitable for planting in the ground. Plant a patch in the yard and it directly turns into a sea of flowers!
Oxalis:Oxalis may have small bulbs, but its explosive power is super strong! Just scatter a handful of bulbs in a flowerpot and it will quickly fill a whole pot. With rich colors, give it some scattered light in summer and it will bloom into a waterfall of flowers. Take a photo for your social media and it will definitely get tons of likes!
Many bulb flowers enter dormancy once summer arrives, and at this time you must not mess around! First, watering: most bulbs need controlled watering during dormancy. Don't think that just because it's hot you should water like crazy, the roots will suffocate and rot! For example, tulips and hyacinths, water just a little only after the soil has dried out completely, keeping it slightly moist. If you're growing amaryllis or lilies, which are still blooming in summer, then water normally, but the pot must never have standing water. Remember to move them back indoors on rainy days.
There are also particular requirements for light. For dormant bulbs like narcissus and saffron crocus, it's best to place them in a cool, ventilated spot, such as a north balcony or a corner of an air-conditioned room, avoiding harsh direct sun. For varieties still blooming, like rain lilies and gladiolus, you can let them get morning and evening sun, and provide some shade when the midday sun is too harsh.
Fertilizer must also be given according to need. Don't fertilize dormant bulbs, it wastes money and harms the roots! For blooming bulbs, you can give phosphorus and potassium fertilizer about every10days, such as monopotassium phosphate, diluted into a water solution and poured on, and the flowers will bloom bigger and more brilliantly! In addition, if you find the bulbs moldy or roots rotting, quickly cut off the bad parts, soak them in carbendazim to disinfect, and replant them in clean soil. They might even be "rescued"!
Quickly write down these care tips and amazing varieties. Master the summer care techniques for bulb flowers, and this summer, let our bulb flowers also"compete" and reach new heights of beauty!