Bulbs/Double Flowering Tuberose
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Question
QUESTION: What will happen if I don't pull up the bulbs after the flowering season? Will they
rot? I will be planting them in a bed that will continue to get watered over the
season. Thanks
ANSWER: Give me your zipcode, joanne, or tell me where you live. A lot depends on how cold it gets where you live; a lot depends on your Soil. rsvp,
THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi, I live in Tujunga, 30miles northeast of Los Angeles, CA the zip is 91042. It's
blazing hot in the summer and cold in winter (doesn't snow). The soil is dry and
rocky. I try to mulch it in areas that get planted, if I don't the soil will dry up in
a day even after I water. Thanks!
Your temps drop to the 30's in January and February -- cold for Polyanthes, but not fatal. Trouble is, you are going to water the area frequently, and these bulbs need to be high and dry when dormant. Lift them and store cool and totally dry (but not in plastic bags -- they need to breathe); pot up in Spring indoors to start them early for as you know they do take forever to bloom and need a loooooong growing season.
One of my favorite plants.
THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER
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Long Island Gardener
Expertise
Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.
Experience
Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.
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