If you plan it the right way , you may have a incandescent lamp of some kind in bloom throughout the entire growing time of year .   We ’re all familiar with daffodils , tulip , crocuses , hyacinths and a host of minor bulbs that typically clear up the late winter and bound landscape .   In summertime , we are blessed with warm conditions Allium , caladiums , elephant ears , corpus sternum , Liatris , and lily of various kinds .    It may surprise you to acquire that fall has plenty to offer in the fashion of medulla oblongata as well .   Just as the relief of the garden is begin to go dormant , the sight of many of the fall - blooming bulb described below will intrigue and delight you .

COLCHICUM

Colchicum(pronounced KOHL - chi - kum ) takes you by surprise when you encounter it in the autumn landscape painting .   Closely touch on to lily ( Liliaceaefamily ) , it resemble a crocus on steroids .

However , it is not pertain to the crocus , which is a member of the Iris family unit and typically blooms in early spring .   To add to the confusion , some crocus flower in the fall ( more on those later ) , plusColchicumis sometimes referred to as fall crocus .   It grow vase - shaped efflorescence begin in September and continue into November , bet on the species . Without go into all the botanical differences between the two species , here are a few way of life to distinguish between aColchicumand a crocus :

In addition to the specie , a routine ofColchicumhybrids are available through catalogs and on - line sources , including the follow selections :

Colchicumcorms arepoisonous , so wear garden gloves when handling them . One downside to someColclicumspecies is that their blossoms , which mostly develop about 6 to 8 inches tall , tend to flop over after a few days .   A result to that problem is to plant the corms beneath a footing masking which will support the bloom .

AUTUMN CROCUS

Crocuses are usually thought of as one of the earliest blooming of the spring bulbs .   However , the genus includes a figure of drop - blooming crocus species as well .   With the exception ofC. niveus , which has white flowers , the members of this fall - blooming group heyday in various shades of lavender .   All of the fall - blooming mintage are interesting , but the abide by two stand out as being of finical interest :

Crocus speciosus ( Showy crocus ) – This heirloom species , dating back to 1800 , bloom in shades of mauve to violet blue . Just a few cross showy crocus selections include :

Crocus Sativus ( Saffron Crocus ) – This plant is the source of saffron , the culinary spice used to gloss and season many Indian , Asian , and Mediterranean smasher , including curries and Spanish paella .   It takes about five dozenC. sativusblossoms to raise just one tablespoon of the blood-red - orange threads , which are actually the stain from the flush .   Each purple , loving cup - shaped blossom contains three stigmas .   For the home gardener interested in growingC. sativus , plant two or three 12 bulbs in a sunny , well - drained emplacement .   They will gradually manifold , providing more of the spice with each serial year .

STERNBERGIA LUTEA

unremarkably called lily of the field , this heirloom ( pre-1601 ) bulb , a member of the Amaryllidaceaefamily , has identity issues .   Its gold yellowish blossoms look standardised to those of a crocus . However , Sternbergia luteais neither a lily nor a crocus .   To add to the mix-up , this electric-light bulb is sometimes refer to as autumn Narcissus pseudonarcissus , yet it turn out no resemblance whatsoever to daffodil other than its color .   Despite the muddiness about its identity , this four to six - in tall plant life provides passel of color in the September landscape .   It show to best reward at the front of the border either in pocket-size disperse groupings or in a large stack planting .   The foliage appears along with the flower and persists until spring before it finally go bad back .

CYCLAMEN

A member of thePrimulaceaefamily , low - growing Cyclamen is an splendid summation to sway garden and naturalized shady woodland gardens .

The flowers set out from white to deep Battle of Magenta pink .   While the uniquely shaped , reflexed flower are squeamish and adorable to count at , the attractively mottled heart- or arrow - shaped leafage pick up the eye in a natural mise en scene . reckon on the metal money , the leaves may be punctuate with silver spots or zones or various shades of unripened or gray .   The leaves and flower still hunt rise forthwith from the Cyclamen tuber .   Of the 20 metal money of Cyclamen that survive , choose the stout forms for the fall garden , such asC. hederifolium or C. purpurascens , which can prosper in USDA Zones 5 or 6 .   Do not jumble the hardy forms of Cyclamen withC. persicum , a large - flower strain that was bred in the late 1800s for usance as a house industrial plant .

LYCORIS RADIATA

A member of the amaryllis family , this heirloom bulb is known by a serial publication of vulgar name ( spider lily , charming lily , hurricane lily , surprisal lily , nude ladies , resurrection lily , etc . ) .   The bulb typically lie dormant until late summer or other autumn rains trigger it to bloom .   At that spot , one to two - infantry marvelous leafless flush stalks rise from the soil , each tolerate umbel of four to six dramatic coral - red flowers .   Each flower has very long spidery - looking stamen , which lends it an airy spirit and is the source of its common name of spider lily .   The blossom fade speedily in hot weather but will last a bit longer when planted in fond nicety .   Once the flush husk dies , the electric light send up long , shoulder strap - similar , grayish green leaves , which stay through winter and then die back in spring .   wanderer lily naturalize by bulb set-back and will form small colonies over time . In addition to the red - blooming metal money , a variety calledAlbahas blank blooms .   A related to mintage ( L. aurea ) produce favorable yellow blossoms .

LYCORIS SQUAMIGERA

This cousin ofL. radiatais the most cold Oliver Hardy of theLycorisspecies and portion many of the same common names as its red - flower vis-a-vis — naked lady , resurrection lily , or surprise Lily .   LikeL.radiata , this coinage is at its most resplendent as a slew planting .   The leaf appears in the spring and then pass away back .   In recent summer , one to two - foundation tall stalwart leafless scapes climb from the soil , each bearing 6 to 8 trumpet - shape blossoms in a poll .   The flower colour on this species is a fragile shade of pinkish lavender . The blossoms are long lasting on the plant and as a cut flower in floral placement .   The bulbs do n’t like to be disturb after they are planted and may not come up the first year .   Divide the bulbs when flowering starts to become thin and replant them immediately .   They do n’t like to dry out .

CANNA LILY

Canna lily is the exclusive extremity of theCannaceaefamily and is another decline - blooming bulb ( rhizome , actually ) that swings into action in August and September when the eternal sleep of the garden is winding down .   Nine species from the Americas and Asia belong to this family of plant life .   Most cannas maturate today are hybrids that have been bred specifically for flower size and leaf coloration .   For such hybrids , C. flaccidafrom Florida is the principal parent for heyday size andC.indicafrom Central America is the major parent for variegated leafage .   Height is an important consideration when selecting cannas for the landscape painting .   While many selections top out at three to four foot , the tallest canna species or hybrids can grow to more than six metrical unit .   as luck would have it , for gardeners who want a upright emphasis but not one that improbable , many shorter hybrid are available , include some dwarf varieties that grow only 18 to 24 inches marvellous .   The shorter varieties make enceinte accent plants for container gardens .   Cannas bloom in a wide orbit of colors with interesting looking flower spikes that can last for several weeks .   They attract pollinator of all form , including bees and other insects , hummingbird , and even bats .   jointly , canna lily make a dramatic statement in the interracial borderline with their bold leaf , coloured flowers , tropic visual aspect , and perpendicular descriptor .   While some canna selection are report to be hardy in USDA Zone 7 , others need shelter from cold , wet winter conditions .    If in dubiety , carefully prod up the rhizomes to obviate damage them and store them in a cool , rime - spare area over winter .   Replant in spring once the danger of hoarfrost is retiring .

DAHLIA

Members of theAsteraceaeplant kinsfolk , dahlias are perhaps the quintessential previous - time of year flowering lightbulb .   Originating in Mexico and Central America , this most glorious of fall - bloom electric light was prized by the Aztecs centuries ago .   Finding its way to Europe in the late 1700s , it became widely hybridized and eventually circled back to the New World , where it is sky-high grown by both collectors and horticulture amateurs alike .   For those of us who retrieve the rosebush is the queen of the ornamental garden , it could be argued that the glorious , dramatic , scene - steal dahlia presents some serious competition for the title .   More than 20,000 dahlia cultivar are listed on the Royal Horticultural Society ’s International Registry .   The American Dahlia Society pick out a phone number of dahlia form , include collarette , waterlily , ornamental , ball , pom pom , cactus , anemone , and single - flowered .   Technically a tuber rather than a bulb , dahlias should be planted about two weeks before the last expected frost in a sunny location in filth that has been profoundly cultivated and amended with constituent subject .   In autumn , cautiously dig up the tubers after Robert Frost kills the foliage .   Once the soil dries on the roots , clean them with a sonant copse or textile and store in a well - ventilated , frost - free area .

CULTURAL necessary AND forethought OF dip - FLOWERING BULBS

Fall - blossom electric-light bulb , corms , rhizomes and genus Tuber are broadly speaking low-spirited maintenance and have few ethnical requisite .

When to plant fall-blooming bulbs

Some experts , recommend constitute crepuscle - flowering bulb in August , University of Maryland Extension . , while others commend plant in early fall , University of Tennessee / Horticulture , or simply former summertime or early fall . Iowa State Extension / Colchicum .   “ you’re able to plant a bulb in summer for bloom that crepuscule . ”North Carolina State University Extension/ Colchicum .

origin

American Dahlia Society ( http://www.dahlia.org/ )

Bulbs(Bryan , John E. , 2002 )

Clemson Cooperative Extension Pub . HGIC 1156 , ‘ Summer- & Fall - Flowering Bulbs , ( www.clemson.edu )

“ Dahlias , ” Chicago Botanic Garden article ( http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/dahlias )

50 Beautiful Deer - immune Plants – The Prettiest Annuals , Perennials , Bulbs , and Shrubs that Deer Do n’t Eat(Clausen , Ruth Rogers , 2011 )