TheThe BulbsBulbs ofof SummerSummer Add an exotic touch to your garden with an alphabet’s worth of summer-blooming bulbous plants from Agapanthus to Zephyranthes. BY DAVID J. ELLIS OST OF US have an estab- the last two decades in my Maryland the country but can be grown as annu- lished design or theme in garden along with others recommend- als or container plants in most gardens. Mour gardens, but even the ed by experts in different regions of the Others may perennialize in moderately most conservative gardener enjoys try- United States. Many of these plants are temperate gardens—or can be dug in ing something slightly exotic or unusu- hardy only in the warmest regions of fall and stored indoors during winter. al to add a splash of color in a bed or With the increased minimum average container. One easy way to accomplish This combination of Agapanthus ‘Headbourne temperatures American gardeners have this is with bulbous tropical or sub - Hybrids’ blue flowers and dangling clusters experienced over the last few decades, tropical plants that bloom in summer. of white flowers on summer hyacinth it’s worth experimenting with some of The plants profiled in this article are (Ornithogalum candicans) brings to mind white these plants in regions where they were selected from those I have tried over clouds in a blue summer sky. not previously successful. JANET LOUGHREY 12 the American Gardener AFRICAN LILY, AGAPANTHUS ‘Snow Storm’ (white flowers on two- to (Agapanthus 5hybridus, USDA Hardiness three-foot stems). Zones 7/8–11) Planting and care Plant the bulbous Native to southern Africa, African lilies rootstock so the crown is just below soil are rhizomatous bulbs in the onion fam- level in free draining, loamy soil. They ily. Clumps of elegant, straplike foliage will thrive in full sun or part shade; after- emerge in midsummer, followed by noon shade is advisable in regions with globular clusters of purple, blue, or white hot summers. Once established, they are flowers on long stems. There are both fairly drought tolerant. evergreen and deciduous varieties. Some hybrids are hardy to USDA Zone 7 (pos- CRINUMS, SWAMP LILIES sibly 6), but the limiting factor for suc- (Crinum spp., Zones vary by species) cess in temperate gardens is their aversion Members of the amaryllis family, crinums to winter moisture. “It’s a great plant for are found in tropical regions around the Mediterranean climates like California, globe, usually in marshy or seasonally wet but difficult for the rest of us,” says Brent habitats. Growing from large bulbs, cri- Heath, co-owner of Brent and Becky’s nums develop clumps of broad, straplike Bulbs in Gloucester, Virginia. “However, leaves that are evergreen in regions with it can be grown successfully in containers mild climates. Striking clusters of lilylike if you can give it a warm, dry dormant pe- flowers bloom on upright stems in late riod in winter.” Selections to consider in- spring or early summer. Recommended clude ‘Ellamae’ (Royal Ama™) (dark blue crinums include the hybrid ‘Ellen Bosa- flowers on four-foot stalks) and ‘Storm nquet’ (Zones 8–10), a classic southern Cloud’ (dark blue flowers on three- to passalong plant with large, deep pink to four-foot stems). Short selections suited burgundy flowers on three- or four-foot for containers include ‘Peter Pan’ (blue stems. “It’s pretty long-blooming for a cri- flowers on one- to two-foot stems) and num and has a sweet fragrance,” says Pam Crocosmia ‘Prince‘Prince ofof Orange’Orange’ Baggett, a garden writer and former nurs- ery owner in Cedar Grove, North Caroli- na. Other choices to consider are Powell’s crinum (C. 5powellii, Zones 6–9), a hardy hybrid with fragrant pale pink or white flowers on two-foot stems, and fragrant white-flowered swamp lily (C. america- num, Zones 8–11), which is native to wet- lands in the southern United States. Planting and care Crinums are adapt- able to a range of soils and will tolerate drought when not in active growth. If you’re pushing the envelope on their hardiness range, plant them up to a foot below the soil surface. CROCOSMIAS (Crocosmia hybrids, Zones 6/7–9) In the category of easy-to-grow bulbous perennials for summer bloom, crocos- mias have few rivals other than lilies. Growing from corms, these iris family members from subtropical Africa send up tight clumps of rapier-thin foliage two CrinumCrinum 5powelliipowellii to three feet tall in late spring or early LEFT: JANET DAVIS. RIGHT: NANCY J. ONDRA JANET LOUGHREY summer. Soon thereafter, tidy clusters May / June 2021 13 of funnel-shaped, bright red, orange, or yellow flowers unfurl at the end of arch- ing spikes, drawing hummingbirds. Doz- ens of cultivars are available, including time-tested and vigorous ‘Lucifer’ (bright red flowers). More compact selections include ‘Solftare’ (yellow flowers and bronze-tinted foliage) and ‘Emily McK- enzie’ (orange flowers with red bases). Planting and care Plant corms two to four inches deep in free-draining, moderately fer- tile soil in full sun. They are fairly drought tolerant but should be watered during prolonged spring or summer dry periods. Clumps spread slowly (they can spread rap- idly in fertile soil) and should be divided ev- ery two to four years to maintain vigor. PINEAPPLE LILY (Eucomis comosa, Zones 7–10) Whether planted in the ground or in a container, pineapple lily is a surefire con- versation starter. Native to the tropics of southern Africa, this lily relative forms a rosette of straplike leaves in early summer. Two- to three-foot spikes of densely clus- tered, greenish white flowers with pink or purple highlights bloom in mid- to late summer. Each spike is crowned with leafy bracts that look like the tops of pineap- ples. Baggett grows them in a perenni- EucomisEucomis comosacomosa ‘Sparkling‘Sparkling Burgundy’Burgundy’ al bed with companions such as bronze fennel and purple euphorbias that mirror the pineapple lily’s coloring. ‘Sparkling this,” says Scott Kunst, the now-retired Burgundy’, a selection with deep purple founder of Old House Gardens nursery in foliage, “is a real tough plant that comes Ann Arbor, Michigan. “They are beautiful back reliably,” says Baggett. from when they first start forming flower Planting and care Plant bulbs six to spikes.” According to Kunst, they are well eight inches deep (more shallowly in con- suited to coastal regions. “We grow them tainers) in a sunny spot in fairly fertile, as annuals, but you can dig them and store free-draining soil. Water regularly while them over winter very easily,” he says. in active growth. Divide bulbs every five Planting and care Plant corms two to years or so to ensure continued vigor. three inches deep in free-draining, mod- erately fertile soil. They do best in full ABYSSINIAN GLADIOLUS sun except in warmer regions, where af- (Gladiolus murielae, syn. Acidanthera bi- ternoon shade would be beneficial. color, Zones 8–11) Prized for its fragrant, evening-blooming GLORIOSA LILY, FLAME LILY flowers, Abyssinian gladiolus is easy to grow (Gloriosa superba, Zones 8–11) in borders or containers. Native to eastern Native to open woodlands of southern Africa, this iris family member grows from and central Africa, this sprawling climber corms to form clumps of upright foliage two in the naked-ladies family grows from a to three feet tall. Its white flowers, graced fleshy tuberous rootstock. Its wiry four- with a maroon or chocolate-colored splotch to six-foot stems are cloaked in sparse, around the base of the petals, bloom in late lilylike leaves featuring twining tendrils. summer to early fall. “The longer you gar- Gladiolus murielae The striking red-and-yellow flowers, com- den, the more you appreciate plants like posed of six curling tepals with crinkled TOP: SAXON HOLT. BOTTOM: JANET LOUGHREY 14 the American Gardener Sources Brent & Becky’s Bulbs, Gloucester, VA. www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com. Old House Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI. www.oldhousegardens.com. The Southern Bulb Co., Golden, TX. www.southernbulbs.com. Resources Garden Bulbs for the South (2nd edi- tion) by Scott Ogden. Timber Press, Portland, OR, 2007. Sunset Western Garden Book (9th edition), edited by Kathleen Norris Brenzel. Sunset Publishing, Menlo, CA, 2012. Tropical Plants and How to Love Them by Marianne Willburn. Cool Springs Press, Beverly, MA, 2021. to bloom around the time daylilies peter out,” says Jim Shields, who for many years was president of Shields Gardens, a former mail-order nursery in Westfield, Indiana. Planting and care Plant bulbs six to eight inches deep and at least a foot apart in a sunny site with free-draining, moderately fertile soil. Watch for slug or snail damage. GIANT CHINCHERINCHEE (Ornitho galum saundersiae, Zones 7–10) Another ornithogalum almost worth grow- ing just for its delightful common name (it is sometimes called star-of-Bethlehem, but that name is better reserved for its weedy rel- ative O. umbellatum), this plant announces its presence with a clump of straplike leaves in early summer. In mid- to late summer, Gloriosa superba ‘Rothschildiana’‘Rothschildiana’ large clusters of star-shaped, creamy white flowers with greenish black eyes bloom atop edges, bloom on side shoots in mid- to except in very hot regions, where they three- to five-foot spikes. “It provides ex- late summer. It can be trained on a mail- appreciate some afternoon shade. tremely long lasting flowers in the garden box or trellis, grown up through a shrub, and in the vase,” says Heath, who grows or allowed to sprawl out of a container. SUMMER HYACINTH it at the back of the border in his tropical Brent Heath says gloriosa lilies are “a (Ornithogalum candicans, syn.