You might think of bulbs as only appropriate for a spring lawn. After all, spring flower beds are full of tulips, daffodils and crocus. However, lots of flower bulbs blossom profusely from early summer into the autumn. A bulb includes the complete life cycle of the plant in an underground construction. The five types of bulbs comprise: true bulb, corm, rhizome, tuber and tuberous roots.
True Bulbs
True bulbs are included of the basal plate, which grows origins, overlapping fleshy scales surrounding the shoot of the leaves and blossom bud, and lateral buds that grow into bulblets. True bulbs include ornamental onions (Alliums), growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, offering flowers arranged in a ball atop a long stem. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum), which rises in USDA zones 8 through 10, is offered in Christmas times either as bulbs or as blooming plants, but their blooming time in the garden is early summer, with flowers up to 6 inches across in pink, white or red. Asiatic lily (Lilium) rises in USDA zones 1 through 9. Oriental lilies (Lilium) grow in USDA zones 6 through 8. Trumpet lily (Lilium) does well in USDA zones 7 through 10, blooming from early summer through autumn.
Corms
Freesia (Freesia) rises from corms in USDA zones 9 through 11 in late spring, where they will blossom in summer if planted late enough. Gladiolus (Gladiolus) does well in USDA zones 7 through 10. They are frost tender, so need to be lifted and stored over the winter. The plants possess strap-like leaves in two to three feet long and flowers blossom in yellow, orange, red, pink, white shades, a few edged or splashed with a contrasting color. The summer-blooming “Black Jack” gladiolus is actually a very dark red and lends a stunning focal point to the garden.
Rhizomes
Calla lilies (Zantedeschia), which grow from rhizomes, are not true lilies. The blossom is formed from one spathe, a large bract wrapped across the yellow spadix , a spike that holds the genuine tiny flowers. Calla lilies blossom in USDA zones 7 through 10 in white, pink and yellow. Canna (Canna) grow from 3 to 5 feet with large oval leaves that unwrap around a central stem in USDA zones 8 through 11. The blooms are borne at the top of the stem and also resemble ruffled orchids, while leaves may be variegated with burgundy, yellow, red and purple on green. Butterfly ginger (Hedychium), is native to Asia, India and the Himalayas. It rises to 7 feet tall in USDA zones 8 through 10. The flowers bloom in white, red or yellow and resemble an orchid.
Tubers and Tuberous Roots
Tuberous begonias (Begonia x tuberhybrida) keep flowers up to 2 inches in diameter in bright red, pink, yellow, orange and whit and glossy green rouonded leaves. Begonias are hardy down to USDA zone 3. Daylilies (Hemerocallis) possess lily-shaped flowers in a plethora of colors blooming in USDA zones 3 through 10. The wild orange daylilies are frequently seen naturalized near roadsides and in meadows. Water lilies (Nymphaea) are either hardy, which means they will live throughout the winter provided that the pond doesn’t freeze through, or tropical, which means they have to be lifted while the temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit and saved via a chilly winter. Dahlias (Dahlia) grow in tuberous roots down to zone 7b if heavily mulched, bering flowers that vary from two to three inches across around 6 inches. “Figaro” is a dwarf dahlia growing to 12 inches high and wide with smaller flowers.