Gardening with Gael - It’s time to plant bulbs

 

“What is are those?” asked our daughter Jozie, pointing to a bright display of purple, blue and cerise flowers, their colours enhanced by a nearby white geranium.

“Babianas,” I replied. “They grow prolifically and require little care, just dividing every now and then. I’ll save you some when I dig them up.”
It’s time for the ‘it’s time to plant bulbs’ column. Time to check out the big displays of bulbs in all the garden centres or go online and check out our local Bulbs Direct. Or, remind a friend who may have promised you bulbs when you admired them in the spring that this is the time to dig them up, divide and disperse.

This year I am going to write a little about some lesser-known bulbs all of which deserve a place in the bright bulb display we look forward to in spring. Now is the time to throw a bit of food in the areas you remember planting bulbs last year. The roots will be beginning to move and with all the rain we have had the ground may have leached a good deal of goodness.

Babianas need to be in now. They begin growing during the winter months ready to flower from early spring. A native to South Africa, babianas require a well-drained soil, growing well in the sandy soil we all experience here by the coast. Their natural habitat is quite stony and they push up among the rocks and gravel and are therefore comfortable along the sides of paths and between paving stones. They are drought tolerant and enjoy a sunny aspect. I have them growing along the top of a small rock wall among white geraniums. The flowers are every shade of violet through to purple and reliably appear every year, their long lasting flowers creating a colourful display.

While writing this article I indulged in a little Google search for bulbs to check out any additions I might like to add to my garden. My friend Jan from Cambridge was here peering over my shoulder.

“Do you have any ixias?” she asked. “They are great because of their height, the vibrancy of their colour and their ability to lift any flower arrangement.”

Also native to South Africa, ixias produce flowers on stems that look fragile but are in fact quite strong. Jan suggested that I plant them close together to support one another.

Autumn is the correct time to plant ixia bulbs and they flower in late spring. Most packets have a bulb depth guide to follow. If not, just make sure they have about twice their size in depth above them, pointy bit up and flat side (there may even be some roots to guide you) down. 
Ixias have almost every colour. I have ordered some white, some cerise pink/red, and a bag of mixed which appear to have yellow, pink, salmon, cherry red and white, their colours enriched by the contrast of their darker coloured centres. I am planting them at the back of a mixed border garden and look forward immensely to the display in spring.

I have just enough space to mention another South African native that is closely related to the ixias but which has a smaller flower stalk. Tritonias are also known as ’flame flowers’ because of the mass of orange flowers that appear in spring. Predominately orange, there are also yellow, salmon, brown and lilac varieties. I imagine planted among the babianas they would make a fabulous display.


A floral burst; Babianas grow prolifically and are easy to care for.