Botanical Bulbs

A website dedicated to growing rare flowerbulbs

- Crocus

- Tulipa

- Biarum

- Cyclamen

- Narcissus (species & miniature daffodils)

I am an amateur hobby grower (not a commercial nursery) based in the Netherlands.

Although I also grow some 'garden varieties' my main interest lies in 'botanical' species.

I am interested to swap (and occasionally sell) surplus bulbs and corms but always in very small amounts due to very limited growing space (sorry, only shipping within the EU and no phytosanitary certificates etc).

If you wish to get in contact or to be added to the mailinglist please email me:

botanicalbulbs@gmail.com

Narcissus triandrus

The 'Nursery' (my garden)

Different species have different needs. Therefore I grow my plants in different growing conditions. The below pictures have been taken at the end of summer in september. This is the period the bulbs start 'awakening' and the first few autumn flowering Crocus flowers start appearing.

The garden is surrounded by decidious trees which provide shade during the summer. From autumn to spring the trees have no leaves making sure there is enough sunshine so the bulbs get as much light as possible during their growing season..

In the bulbframe I grow species which require a dry but relatively 'cool' summer. By providing shade in the summer I make sure the pots do not get overheated. Year round I can choose to cover or open the lids to control the amount of (rain)water.

This open plunge is practically never closed and houses species which require a lot of high intensity filtered (not direct) sunlight and 'cool' growing conditions. I use the lid for this purpose in spring/summer and cover it with white fleece).

The bulbhouse is where the species are kept who require the warmest conditions during their dormant stage in summer. In nature the summers of these species are warm and dry. They need these kind of circumstan-ces to be able to produce flowers. Good ventilation is very important and during very hot spells shading is provided in order to make sure temperatures are prefferably not getting above 40 degrees C. Insulation around the pots prevent thermal shock and the mirrors reflect as much light as possible.

The bulbtunnel can be covered during periods when the bulbs are flowering so they don't get 'spolied' by the rain and splashing earth etc. During cold wheather spells I can easily cover the sides with white fleece to protect them against the worst of the cold and create a micro-climate. All frames are covered on the inside with 50 mm polystyrene insulation to protect the pots against accesive heat and/or cold.

This also an open plunge which can be covered when needed. The difference with the other open plung is that it gets relatively much more shade. Species which like these conditions are eg. Crocus banaticus or Narcissus cyclamineus.

Here I grow tulips. Because space is limited in my garden I grow them individually in pots. It works but it's not ideal. This bed is never covered so during long periods of rain the flowers don't last.

Cultivation

For pretty much all my plants I use 20 cm tall square plastic so called 'Rose- or palmpots'. The main reason is they are very efficient and allow me to use the limited amount of space as optimal as possible. As a general rule I plant most bulbs about half way down the pot (10 cm. deep). They will find their way up usually. Planting bulbs to shallow causes them to 'break-up' in lots of smaller bulbs which won't flower next year. However if you wish to multiply them as quick as possible you can use this in your advantage.

I have tried many different substrates. I used to use mixtures of loam, peat, sand and gravel but it makes the pots very heavy and I didn't always get satisfyting results. Now I use a mixture of about 70% good potting mixture (peat based) with 30% perlite. I know, I know... peat should not be used anymore but I can't afford to experiment with and expose 'expensive and rare' bulbs to alternative (and unfortunatley still mostly inferior) potting mixtures. The mix I use has excellent results; it's light, well draining and (very important) contains enough oxygen for the roots preventing fungus and rot etc.

Some species require an extra accidic soil. I use the same mixture but instead of normal potting mixture I use a mixture specifically meant for acid loving plants (Rhododendron, hydrangea etc.)

Repotting I try to do at least every other year (once every two years), but I have so many pots I sometimes don't get round to repotting them all. This isn't the end of the world and as long as the liquid feeding the following year is good all should be fine. Some species barely stop their growing cycle (active roots all year long) and do not like regular repotting. These species prefer to remain in the soil for multiple years (eg. Crocus scardicus, pelistericus). Worth mentioning is to not be cheap and re-use soil; It might contain to many salts from potential overfeeding or worse deceases and/or bugs. Personally I have no experience with using 'anti fungal' solutions when the bulbs are dormant. I never had the need for them and as long as you repot every year, use a well aearated potting mixture, provide plenty of ventilation and regularly remove dead leaves and flowers during the growing season there should be no need for these kind of treatments. Other growers swear by them so by all means don't take my word for it.

With regards to covering the pots with gravel: I don't do it anymore for two reasons. The first being that you can't tell very easily how wet or dry the substrate is. I usually use the best tool there is to check this and that's my index finger. The second reason for not using gravel is that it prevents water from evaporating, espe-cially in plastic pots I find this a disadavantage. In my opinion the same amount of water should not sit too long in the pots substrate and should either evaporate asap or be replaced by new fresh water (rain or watering) to maintain and promote the most favourable conditions for the roots. I start watering all bulbs that have been kept dry during the summer around september 1st and again a good drench on october 1st. That should be enough to last most plants well into winter.

With regards to feeding there are so many things to be said that it would probably be best not to say to much about it. I will describe my method and leave it up to you what to do with it. The substrate I use does not have any real nutrients in it for the plants to grow on except for the little bit of intitial feeding the manufacturer added to potting medium. This is enough for the first 4-6 weeks but after that it's depleated and nutrients will have to be added. Because I grow in tall plastic pots the chance they dry out during the growing season (autumn, winter and spring) is very small. Ofcourse it depends on the wheater (hot or cold), the amount of venti- lation and very important how many bulbs/plants there are in one pot at a time. The more plants the sooner the water has been used up and evaporated through the leaves.

I always use biological liquid fertilizers and try not to use one specific kind or brand, I use 'normal' all-purpose general liquid feed, liquid feed for tomatoes and liquid seaweed. I feed once a month and start when leaves appaer. I only fertilize the plants which show signs of active growth (in short; plants which have developed leaves). And pots with a lot of leaves get relatively more liquid feed than pots with only some or a few leaves.

There's no need to every time 'drench' the pots with the liquid feed solution, it's difficult to say how much is enough but go with your gut-feeling because this is usually a good indicator and 'when in doubt don't do it' is also a good motto to grow by. Even if the liquid feed only wets the top layer of the pot the nutrients will divide and spread equally through the substrate (on the condition the substrate is moist/wet through an through). You don't want to 'overfeed' and being on the safe side is then a better option. Like all things in life it takes experience and this comes with (a lot) of failures and some successes.

Then perhaps a few 'open doors' but it doesn't hurt to mention them (It would have spared me some losses if I knew about them from the start).

Do not place pots on a place where they receive direct sunlight; within no time at all the pots become very hot causing the bulbs to overheat and most species do not take kindly to this treatment.

In general bulbs are quite forgiving to the type of soil you use but whatever you do never use soil that doesn't drain well. Water that just sits there and doesn't get a change to drain away causes a lack of oxygen and will soon kill the roots, cause fungal infections or worse turn your bulbs into mush.

Tall plastic pots are good but it takes forever for them to dry out so stop watering rather too soon then to late; in the bulbhouse I stop watering sometimes mid-march already and only give water to plants I am 100% sure they aren't ready to go dormant yet within the next 4 weeks or so.

Make sure the pots are wet through and through when you start giving water again after the dry summer. Check and double check because eventhough the top may seem wet the inside of the pot might still be as dry as dust. Peat based composts are good but to get bone dry peat properly wet again isn't easy.

At the bottom of this website you will find the lists with species I grow. Every species is colour-coded; the colour corresponds to specific growing conditions. This works for me in my climate but is no guarantee it will work for other growers with different climates. Use it as an indication but it's not a guarantee for succes.

Garden varieties & Tunnel: not covered against the rain during the summer. Only covered during the autumn, winter and spring during excessive wet periods and to prevent the flowers from getting spoiled by splashing mud etc. After the flowering has stopped I don't remove the weeds anymore and just let them grow. These help to evaporate the water in the pots, provide shade and keep the soil conditions active and optimal.

Open shade: the same as the above except this is as good as never not covered against the rain except that these are situated at a relatively shady (woodland conditions) location and receives only a few hours of direct sunlight during the day keeping the plants as cool as possible. In general these species don't appreciate being repotted every year; they prefer to be left alone for two or more years.

Bulbframe: always covered against the rain so I can optimally control the watering regime. First watering september 1st. The top and front are covered with shadingmats during the dormant season (summer) to make sure the temperatures never get too high. These species generally like warm (not hot) and dry conditions during the summer (but generally able to resistant a bit of summer moisture if and when it accidentaly occurs).

Bulbhouse: always covered against the rain so I can optimally control the watering regime. First watering september 1st. The top and front are covered with mats during the hottest periods during the dormant season (summer) to make sure the temperatures never get too high. These species generally like 'hot' (max. 35 degrees) and dry conditions during the summer to promote flowering the next season. Don't 'overbake' the plants with extreme heat, it's not needed and can causes the bulbs and corms to dry out and die. Most species are not able to cope with moisture during the summer. Stop watering mid-march (latest april 1st depending on the weather) and only water the plants that obviously still need it.

Gallery

Because the space for this website is limited I can only show a limited selection from my collection. If you wish to stay up to date with regular new pictures please follow me on Facebook (Botanical Bulbs). The full species lists are at the bottom of this website.