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Digging the dirt on bulbs


garden bulbs - digging the dirt

It won't be long before the sight of daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and fritillaries herald the start of spring. But have you ever wondered how bulbs differ to other plants?

Plants often modify themselves to ensure survival, and garden bulbs are in fact modified stems, where the overlapping leaves have been adapted to swell and store food and nutrients for the plant.

This is very useful in the British climate, when temperatures drop below freezing, as the plant does not have to produce food using photosynthesis - it has plenty stored already for the next year.

digging the dirt on bulbs ...
Because of this, it is possible to grow many bulbs by just providing water for the roots! Within the bulb is just about everything the plant will need to sprout and flower - try splitting a bulb in half and you will see this clearly.

The thin outer skin (sometimes papery called a tunic) surround the modified leaves or scales.

Right in the centre you will find an embryonic bud, and this may well look like the flower, but still very tiny. Below this are the basal plate and roots.

Get out there planting some!

Linette Applegate.

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