| As a group,flower bulbs are outstanding | | | | of small size. |
| plants-colorful, showy, and generally easy to grow | | | | Here is a partial list of flower bulbs that thrive in |
| for container gardening. Many have evergreen foliage; | | | | container gardens. They will help you with your |
| with others, the leaves ripen after flowering and the | | | | container garden design |
| bulbs are stored and started again, year after year. | | | | Achimenes are warmth-loving trailing plants with neat |
| Some flower bulbs are hardy, others, tender, though | | | | leaves and tubular flowers in blue, lavender, red and |
| what is, and is not hardy, in a particular area is a | | | | white. Related to gloxinias and African violets, they |
| matter of winter temperature averages. In cold | | | | are nice in hanging baskets and window boxes or in |
| regions, tender types-tuberous begonias, gloxinias, | | | | garden pots on tables, shelves, or wall brackets. Start |
| and calla lilies-can be treated like summer in container | | | | the small tubers indoors and give plants a sheltered |
| gardens. This gives the gardener a wide variety to | | | | spot with protection from strong sun and wind. |
| grow from earliest spring to late fall. | | | | Achimenes, an old standby in the South, is worthy of |
| Dutch flower bulbs include crocus, snowdrops, | | | | more frequent planting. |
| eranthis or winter aconites, chionodoxas, scillas, grape | | | | Agapanthus or Blue Lily of the Nile is a fleshy-rooted |
| hyacinths, leucojums or snowflakes, Dutch hyacinths, | | | | evergreen plant, with strap leaves, often grown in |
| daffodils, and tulips, the pride of northern spring | | | | tubs and urns on terraces and steps during the |
| gardens. Though hardy, they are not adapted to | | | | summer, when the tall blue spikes unfold. Culture is |
| garden containers outdoors where temperatures | | | | easy, but plants require a well-lighted, frost proof |
| drop much below freezing. They require the | | | | room or greenhouse in winter. This is an old-time |
| protection of a shed, unheated cellar or cold frame. | | | | favorite, often seen in the gardens of Europe. It is a |
| Gardening Pots can also be dug into a trench in the | | | | perfect flower bulb for container gardening. |
| ground for the winter and covered with a thick | | | | The Calla Lily is Showy, and outdoors in warmer |
| blanket of marsh hay or straw. Where temperatures | | | | regions, but a tender pot plant in the North. Most |
| do not go below freezing, Dutch flower bulbs can be | | | | familiar is the white one with large, shiny, |
| left outdoors in gardening pots over the winter. | | | | heart-shaped leaves. Start bulbs indoors in February |
| For best results in a container garden, start with | | | | or March in rich soil and, when weather settles, |
| fresh, firm, large-sized flower bulbs each fall. Insure | | | | transfer to large gardening pots and take outdoors. |
| good drainage in the bottom of each garden pot and | | | | Calla lilies do well in full sun or part shade, are heavy |
| use a light soil with bone meal added. If in clay pots, | | | | feeders and need much water. There is also a dainty |
| plunge during the rooting period in damp peat moss | | | | yellow one with white-spotted leaves. Rest your |
| to prevent rapid drying out. If this occurs too often, | | | | flower bulbs after foliage ripens and grow again. |
| roots will be injured and flowers will be poor. When | | | | Colorful and free-flowering Dahlias provide bounteous |
| weather permits, after the danger of freezing | | | | cut blooms. Tall, large-flowering kinds can be grown |
| passes, put your container garden outside where | | | | only in large planters and boxes, but the dwarfs, |
| they are to flower or in a nursery row until they | | | | even freer flowering, are excellent in small garden |
| reach the bud stage. After blooming, move your | | | | containers. Attaining one to two feet tall, they grow |
| container garden where foliage can ripen unseen. | | | | easily from tubers in average soil in sun or part |
| For fragrance, concentrate on Dutch hyacinths, | | | | shade. They may also be raised from seed sown |
| excellent for bedding large planter boxes or raised | | | | indoors in February. If tubers are stored in peat or |
| beds. Daffodils look well grouped around trees or | | | | sand in a cool, frost proof place, they can be grown |
| large shrubs, as birches and forsythias. Tulips, formal | | | | for years. Check bulbs during winter, and if shriveling, |
| in character, combine delightfully with pansies, violas, | | | | sprinkle lightly. |
| wall flowers, forget-me-nots, marguerites, English | | | | Gladiolus, the summer-flowering plant has spear like |
| daisies, and annual candytuft in container gardens. | | | | leaves and many hued spikes. Corms can be planted |
| As already indicated, in cold areas, Dutch flower bulbs | | | | in garden containers outdoors after danger of frost is |
| cannot be potted or planted in small window boxes | | | | passed. Set them six inches apart and four to six |
| and left outdoors unprotected for the winter. They | | | | inches deep. The best way to use these in container |
| can, however, be set out in large planters and boxes, | | | | gardening is to planting a few every two to three |
| deep and wide enough to contain plenty of soil. The | | | | weeks, giving you a succession of bloom in your |
| garden pots should be one and a half to two feet | | | | container garden. Stake stems before flowers open. |
| deep and about two feet wide. Set flower bulbs, | | | | After the leaves turn brown, or there is a frost, lift |
| with at least six inches of soil above them, planting | | | | corms, cut off foliage and dust with DDT to control |
| them early enough in the fall so that they can make | | | | the tiny sucking thrips. After dusting, store corms in a |
| root growth before soil freezes hard. In penthouse | | | | dry place at 45 to 55 degrees F for future planting. |
| gardens in New York City, Dutch bulbs have been | | | | Gloxinias, another Summer-flowering plant and tender |
| grown successfully in this way, but it is always a risk. | | | | with large, tubular blooms of red, pink, lavender, |
| It makes no difference whether garden pots are | | | | purple, or white, and broad velvety rosettes of |
| made of wood, concrete, or other material; it is the | | | | leaves. Start tubers indoors and don't take outside |
| amount of soil they hold that counts. | | | | until weather is warm. Since the leaves are easily |
| Actually, it is not the freezing of the soil that injures | | | | broken or injured by wind or rain, put plants in a |
| flower bulbs (this occurs in open ground), but it is the | | | | sheltered spot. The low broad eaves of |
| pressure and counter pressure exerted by frost on | | | | contemporary houses, with restricted sun, offer an |
| the sides of containers, which are firm and do not | | | | appropriate setting for rows of pots or window |
| give. As a result, flower bulbs are bruised and thrust | | | | boxes filled with gay gloxinias. |
| out of the soil, their roots torn. Where there is no | | | | Now you have some great ideas for your container |
| hard freeze, but sufficient cold weather, hardy flower | | | | garden design. It's time now to start planting your |
| bulbs can be grown successfully in garden containers | | | | flower bulbs. |