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A bulbous description: corms, bulbs, and tubers In the plant world, there are quite a number of groups of plants that have been placed under the heading of bulbous plants. What these bulbous plants all have in common is a swollen storage area. This can be a swollen root, as in the turnip and some of the ornamental species; some can have a swollen stem as in the cyclamen species and in some vegetables; tubers as found on dahlia plants and potatoes; and corms such as those found on Ixia and the Gladioli.
When you buy a bulb such as a Tulip or a Daffodil the flowering part is already formed before you buy it, usually, so they will flower when you plant them in your garden or in a pot. The growers have done the work for you in the previous season to make sure you will get an instant garden of beautiful flowers. I know I would go back and complain if I had bought Tulips and they didn't flower the same year. Many bulbs will flower without soil; they just need a little moisture to start the flower stem growing without being planted in the ground. Every year I grow my Hyacinths this way, in small containers that you just add water to. I like to watch the roots grow in the water first, and then see the flower stems grow into the beautiful flower. Then comes the most wonderful perfume of the Hyacinth, almost over-powering sometimes. We like to take them inside the house at this stage to adorn our table. Such a showpiece and definitely a great talking point! With Tulips and Hyacinth bulbs at the end of the season, a lot of people just throw them away and buy new ones next season as they are so cheap to buy in Australia from the big bulb suppliers. I like to keep mine and plant them in the garden the next year to regrow their flowers, and they will usually flower again in two years time. However, plants like Tulips and Hyacinths are best put in the fridge for a short time before you plant them in Australia as they like the cold weather. You will have more success with them if you do this.
Your children can be introduced to bulbs this way and have lots of fun watching bulbous plants such as Hyacinths grow and flower by placing a bulb on top of an old bottle or jar with the base of the bulb just sitting in water. You can teach them a lot of botanical information on how the roots of bulbous plants actually grow in the soil and how they supply nourishment to the bulbs. Go To Page: 1 2
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