Consider planting the majestic Gladiolus Dusky Twilight this year, their peach, pink and red variants will beckon pollinators to your garden such... Read More
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Consider planting the majestic Gladiolus Dusky Twilight this year, their peach, pink and red variants will beckon pollinators to your garden such as sunbirds, butterflies and bees. These bountiful blooms require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day and are stacked high (40 inches) with an unforgettable natural beauty. The Gladiolus, also known as the "sword lily", are perenials that belong to the iris family and should be planted in the springtime, after the last frost. Water regularly and provide the proper drainage, to ensure your Gladiolus thrives. Please keep in mind that these flowers are toxic to cats, dogs and horses. You will find that they bloom between late summer to the early fall months and are hardy zones 8 through 10. Stack your blessings and plant a Dusky Twilight this spring.
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Starting
Starting
Follow the directions on each package as you unpack your bulbs. The depth depends on what type of bulb it is, and how large the plants are expected to be. In a very general sense, bulbs are planted with the pointed end up about 15cm (6″) deep. Be sure to follow the instructions on your individual bulb package.
Bulbs benefit from potassium-rich bone meal at planting time. They will probably produce flowers without bone meal, but a couple of tablespoons full buried with each bulb will produce stronger plants.
If you have some Complete Organic 4-4-4 Fertilizer, that will also help bulbs grow into strong flowering plants. It is sound advice to label or mark out where your fall bulbs are planted so you can remember not to dig there in the spring. Once growth starts in the spring and leaves begin to emerge, you have the option of top dressing (scattering on the surface of the soil) with a Complete Organic Fertilizer. This is a particularly good step if you plan on leaving the bulbs in the ground for the long term.
If you plan on lifting the bulbs after they have bloomed, spring fertilizing is not really necessary.
Once your spring tulips and daffodils have accomplished their task of bringing colour and joy to your spring, you should decide whether to lift them or not. Each plant would prefer to be left in place and send up leaves with which to gather more energy in the bulb for next spring. Most varieties will also begin to form new bulbs beneath the soil. But as the leaves become spent during the summer, they can be unattractive. So either remove spent leaves and leave the bulbs in place, or gently lift the bulbs and transplant them somewhere out of sight.
To lift bulbs, use a garden fork to gently loosen the soil. Your soil may have become quite packed down over winter, so take care when lifting. Try to dig down to the bulb itself, rather than pulling it up by its tender stem. The stem will tell you where each bulb is, so it’s important not to break the stem from the bulb.
After their foliage dies back, bulbs go dormant in preparation for winter. At this stage they can be lifted and labeled (by type or colour) and stored in paper bags for transplanting or giving away. Just like with garlic and onions, allow some time for your harvested bulbs to dry out by leaving them out in a cool, airy place out of direct sunlight. Brush off as much soil as possible, but do not peel away the layers that surround each bulb.
West Coast Seeds is a family-owned company that embraces an organic lifestyle. A group of imagination catalysts and passionate educators, dedicated to producing products and services that better the environment. As part of our mission to repair the earth, we aim to inspire and empower people to take responsibility for the state of the planet. For us, organic is about much more than saying no to chemicals, it is about saying yes to building a healthy soil for the future.
For over 35 years, we have upheld our strong reputation as a leading seed supplier, seeking out the highest quality untreated seeds for organic growing and putting them through rigorous independent testing. We built our company on the exchange of generational wisdom in a masterclass community of newbies and masters alike. Our world may have changed, but our commitment to our people, our customers, and our planet has not.
We’re a values-based business that has blossomed into a lifestyle ethos, with products that support seeders, feeders, keepers, and the tiniest of creepers. Our mission? To mobilize the next generation of gardeners with products that nourish soil and grow vigorous, sustainable gardens. We believe all plants should be grown without the use of chemicals, and that the seeds we supply are an important component of regenerative gardening.
We don’t just offer seeds, we offer experience, insight, and understanding. From timeless garden wisdom to new tech know-how, this is learning on the job: knowledge gleaned not from the pages of a book but from burying our fingers in the soil. We test, experiment, observe and adapt, never happier than when we get to share what we’ve learned with others.
Gardens don’t just grow seeds. They grow minds and imaginations, people and communities. Our vision encompasses both the micro and the macro. We eat locally, protect pollinators, teach people to grow from seed, and support regional biodiversity. We think big but act small and deliver unexpected impact — always with community and purpose.
At West Coast Seeds we believe in the power of small and that little can be large. Like the tiniest seed germinates to evoke incremental change with massive potential, so to can our community of gardeners and growers together. Gardeners are the earth’s stewards, planting seeds of creative declaration. The soil provides the canvas, we provide the seeds.
Spring planting bulbs should be sunk into the ground in March and April. They tend to bloom later in the spring, into mid-summer.
Spring planting bulbs do not require cold soil to trigger flowering. The depth to plant depends on what type of bulb it is, and how large the plants are expected to be. Be sure to follow the instructions on your individual bulb package.
Bulbs benefit from potassium-rich bone meal at planting time. If you have some Complete Organic 4-4-4 Fertilizer, that will also help bulbs grow into strong flowering plants. Once growth starts in the spring and leaves begin to emerge, you have the option of top dressing (scattering on the surface of the soil) with a Complete Organic Fertilizer. This is a particularly good step if you plan on leaving the bulbs in the ground for the long term.
Most summer flowering bulbs are tender. Once foliage dries up in the Fall or is killed by frost, but before the ground freezes, bulbs should be lifted and stored.
To lift bulbs, use a garden fork to gently loosen the soil. Your soil may have become quite packed down over summer, so take care when lifting. Try to dig down to the bulb itself, rather than pulling it up by its tender stem. The stem will tell you where each bulb is, so it’s important not to break the stem from the bulb.
At this stage, allow some time for your harvested bulbs to dry out by leaving them out in a cool, airy place out of direct sunlight before storage. Bulbs can be labeled (by type or colour) and stored in peat, vermiculite or sand in a dry and dark area.
