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.

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Red blossoms blossom in bunches delight the eye with their multiple bright blossoms. Lots of plants fit this description — too many to list — but specific crimson blossoms would be easiest to grow. If you would like a monochromatic color scheme for your flower garden, plant mainly red flowers with shades of pink. To make an analogous color scheme, plant red flowers and those who have red-violet and red-orange flowers. To style a complementary color scheme, plant red blossoms with plants which have lush green leaf.

Tall With Bronze Leaves

Cherry-red types of summer phlox (Phlox paniculata) kind hydrangea-like clusters of blossoms and include “Starfire” and “Lord Clayton.” “Starfire” rises 31 to 35 inches tall, flowers in midsummer, late summer or early autumn and has bronze-red leaves. “Lord Clayton” rises 23 to 29 inches tall, flowers in mid- to late summer and has leaves which start deep purple using lime-green veins which mature to a bronzy purple-green. Both varieties attract butterflies and develop in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9.

Large Flowers

Dwarf Asiatic lilies (Lilium spp.) That bear bunches of big, upfacing, red blooms in bunches include “Crimson Pixie” and “Tiny Hope.” “Crimson Pixie” blooms with red blooms in early to midsummer atop stems 12 to 16 inches tall, grows well in containers and makes an excellent cut flower. “Tiny Hope” has glowing scarlet red blooms in midsummer atop stems 14 to 16 inches tall and looks wonderful as a border. Both varieties grow in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 9.

Eyes in Contrasting Colors

Some red blossoms that bloom in bunches feature eyes in a contrasting color. The auricula primrose “Exhibition Red” (Primula pubescens) is an evergreen that produces cranberry-red blossoms with bright yellow eyes in ancient to mid-spring. It grows 6 to 8 inches tall in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 9. A variety of dwarf sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) known as “Barbarini Red” produces deep red blossoms with fuchsia eyes in late spring to early summer, growing 8 to 12 inches tall in USDA zones 2 through 9. Both plants have been rabbit-resistant and create ideal edging in the landscape.

Rock Gardens, Partial Shade

Use red blooms to brighten up your rock garden with moist soil in partial shade. The “GGG Dark Red” number of mossy saxifrage (Saxifraga × arendsii “GGG Dark Red”) bears rosy-red, cup-shaped blossoms in mid-spring to early summer with visible veins in a darker hue of red, and also grows 4 to 8 inches tall. The double English primrose (Primula) “April Rose” blooms with deep ruby-red blossoms in spring and grows 4 to 6 inches tall. All these are evergreens that boom in rock gardens and grow in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9.

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Redbuds (Cercis spp.) are exceptionally attractive, spring-blooming trees. A fast plant, redbuds have hundreds of small, bright purple flowers in the early spring, before their leaves appear. The result is plenty of color that completely covers all of the tree branches. Both eastern (C. canadensis) and the southern (C. occidentalis) redbud can develop two basic shapes, equally as a shrub-like clump or in a typical tree form.

Clump Redbud

Eastern and western redbuds are generally native to the eastern portion or the southern and southwestern areas of the USA, respectively. Both types naturally develop as multi-stemmed clumps, with a shrub-like growth habit if left unpruned. Commonly referred to as clump redbud, these plants can achieve a height of 10 or 15 feet at maturity, with the identical spread. They usually develop an irregular silhouette at the crown, with moderate branch density. At the spring, a redbud grown as a clump is basically covered in purple blossoms, with few if any bare branches visible.

Tree Redbud

Redbuds also develop into attractive, graceful trees if pruned properly as young saplings. Since they’re spring bloomers that make flowers on the previous season’s growth, redbuds ought to be pruned and shaped immediately after flowering to make certain flowers the following year. For a multi-trunked tree with a vase-like shape, remove all but three or four principal stalks from a young tree, permitting these to become trunks as the tree grows. If you eliminate all but one stem, then the tree will develop to your single-trunked specimen. However, because redbuds tend to branch aggressively, you must remove new, low-placed branches since they seem to retain one trunk.

Other Features

Redbuds have similar leaves and other characteristics, whether increased as a clump or in a tree form. They’ve very large, bluish-green, heart-shaped leaves. In the autumn, their leaves turn several shades of yellow, and long, flattened, maroon-colored seed pods seem. Redbuds are generally frost tolerant and suitable for civilization in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9 for its eastern canadensis species and 6 through 9 for its southern occidentalis species.

Culture

Tree-form and clump redbuds have generally the same cultural requirements. They do well in full sunlight or partial shade and prefer loamy soil, even though they can tolerate mud or clay if it’s well-drained. Wet locations must be avoided since excessive moisture promotes respiratory diseases. Redbuds are generally easy-to-grow, tolerating drought well and requiring little binder or other special care once established in the landscape. Their branches have thin bark, nevertheless, and any branches that cross or rub against each other should be pruned back, because bark harm can encourage entry of insect pests or diseases.

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The perennial banana plant, which is from the genus Musa, grows from underground stems called rhizomes. The herbaceous plant, commonly but erroneously known as a “tree” because of its size — to 25 or more feet tall, has an unusual life cycle. It matures and grows bananas in 10 to 15 months; after yielding bananas that take four to eight months to ripen, the plant dies and is replaced with a different plant that goes through the same life cycle. A banana rhizome can live hundreds of years.

Climate

Bananas are native to tropical and subtropical areas of Asia and need 10 to 15 months of frost-free states to produce a flower stalk. Decorative varieties give a tropical appearance to a landscape. Only the hardiest varieties continue to develop when the temperature drops to 53 F, and fruiting varieties need 10 to 15 weeks of frost-free weather in order to cultivate a flower stalk. The flowering banana (Musa ornate) may develop in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) zone 8. Fruiting varieties grow in USDA zone 9 but don’t produce fruit; they yield bananas, so-called berries, in secure regions of USDA zone 10 and in zone 11.

Life Cycle

Banana stalks, known as pseudostems, are formed by leaves two to 9 feet long that spiral upwards from suckers growing on an underground rhizome. Growers predict these suckers pups. The spiraling leaves wrap around themselves, forming a hollow cylinder. An actual stem rises through the center of the cylinder. When the plant matures, a whorled bunch of blossoms grows in the tip of the stem. After the blossoms yield bananas, which develop in bunches called hands, the stalk dies and is replaced with another sucker growing in the rhizome.

Propagation

Cultivated bananas don’t have seeds. Exactly what were once seeds seem as small, brown specks from the faintly pithy or marginally hollow center of overripe bananas. Varieties of wild bananas have little flesh on their fruit, but they’ve tough, curved or angular black seeds in 1/8 into 5/8 inch broad. Growers propagate seedless domestic cultivars in the limbs that develop in their perennial rhizomes.

Rhizome Management

Banana growers usually allow one plant to acquire a six- to eight-month head start on its growth cycle prior to choosing the most effective of the remaining shoots on its rhizome to replace it and lift bananas. They prune the other, weaker shoots. After a plant matures and yields bananas, then they cut its stalk into the floor and chop it for use as mulch.

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When done properly, pruning roots might help stimulate a tree growth and drive it into bloom. It can also boost the quality of the harvest on some fruit trees. However, not all trees manage root pruning well. Stick to fruit trees and ornamentals like dogwood (Cornus florida), that rises in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Pruning tree roots can have catastrophic impacts on the health of the tree, so plan carefully prior to cutting the roots.

Gauge the width of the trunk at a height of about halfway in the ground to the first branch. Multiply that diameter by 5 and that number is how far out from the tree you should prune the roots. For example, if the tree contains a 20-inch trunk diameter, then measure out 100 inches in the trunk base.

Wait until the tree is ready for root pruning. In ornamental and fruit trees, this is often as soon as the existing blooms become well established and the tree is healthy enough to resist root pruning. This can cause some blooms to drop, but many will reappear as the tree goes to high gear to repair the root system. For young hardwoods which are not growing as quickly as you think they need to, wait to prune until mid-summer once the tree is fully leafed out; the leaves might help supply nutrients to support the tree while the root system redevelops.

Use a shovel to dig the dirt to find the root locations at the correct distance in the tree. Look for big roots extending out from the trunk base and follow a straight line out from the trunk for the very best results, but hidden origins can grow in almost any way. Most roots remain within 12 inches of the surface, so there is no need to dig deeper than that when you’re looking for roots.

Dig a hole big a few inches wider than the origin to provide you with room to work.

Shut the blades of big branch loppers across the root and compress sharply to cut through the origin. Repeat if required to chop all of the way through the origin. Massive loppers can usually cut roots around 3 inches in diameter, which is about the maximum size you should prune; cutting larger roots can result in an unstable tree which starts to fall or lean.

Prune a few roots on all sides of the tree, spacing them out evenly. Pruning on one side just can shock the tree, causing the side to begin to perish. Cutting the ideal number of roots can help improve the tree fruit or bloom production, but cutting a lot of can kill the tree. According to the Michigan State University Extension office, then you can prune around 60 percent of the roots to help promote bloom and fruit production.

Replace the dirt above the cut root. Don’t deal with the root using a product designed to encourage healing, as the root should begin to sprout out in the cut.

Water the tree with a deep, bald watering daily for about two weeks to make it easier for your tree to recover from the root pruning and give the tree that the moisture it needs to grow blooms and fruit.

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Whether you’re growing plants hydroponically — which is, with the roots immersed in water — or in land, the pH of the growing medium round the plants is essential for ideal development. The pH of the growing medium could be acidic, alkaline or basic, or neutral; normally, plants prosper with a pH of about 5.5 to 6.5. Underneath that, plants are acidic, and above that, they are alkaline or basic. If you have discovered that the pH of the growing medium is out of whack, you may use quite a few different methods to fix the problem.

Insert the nutrients or fertilizers which you’re now using for your garden. If you’re growing hydroponically, wait about one hour before you move on to another step. If you’re growing in dirt, wait for 24 hours.

Test the growing medium by inserting a pH test strip or electronic test kit into it, following the directions on the evaluation kit to ensure proper testing. Read your pH level and compare this to the perfect pH for the type of plant you’re growing to ascertain whether you have to raise or lower the pH of the growing medium.

Fill a gallon jug with clean water. Depending on the material you’re using to adjust your pH, then you might be instructed to use a different quantity of water. Make sure you read the directions on the bottle or talk to the retailer for instructions on the proper water-to-substance mix.

Add lime, wood ash or a specially formulated solution into the water to boost the pH, or add sulfur, phosphoric acid or a pH-lowering solution decrease the pH. If you’re adding solid materials to a liquid solution, enable the substance to soak in the water for a couple hours to allow it to “steep.”

Water your crops using the solution. If you’re growing in dirt or another solid like perlite, water the plants using the solution in the same manner you would water the plants using frequent water. If you’re growing hydroponically, add the solution to your hydroponic solution.

Test the pH again following the therapy, to ascertain whether you have to do another therapy. For hydroponics, wait about 30 minutes to check the pH again. For dirt and other solids, wait about 24 hours.

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