Midwest AGNet - Your Source for Everything AGBrighten the Winter Days with Bulbs

Brighten the Winter Days with Bulbs

Macomb, IL(WIU release) -Now that we've turned the bend of winter, with each day longer than the last, we can turn our thoughts to bulbs. In the dark, shortened days of winter, you may think I'm referring to light bulbs. But, being a gardener, of course, I am talking about flowering bulbs. Spring flowering bulbs, to be more specific. I like to put a few of them in the refrigerator around November or December, so that when I take them out in January, the flower buds inside them have fully formed and are ready to emerge. Providing this cold-temperature requirement, or vernalization, is known as forcing the bulbs. Without it, the flower buds will not completely develop, and the bulb would not be able to bloom. Since amaryllis does not require this cold treatment, it is an easy bulb for the novice to try indoors in winter.

If you ever get a chance to travel to the Netherlands in spring, plan to visit the bulb farms and the Keukenhof Garden, the largest bulb garden in the world, covering over 75 acres. This year the theme is "From Russia with Love", featuring a flower bulb mosaic of St. Basil's Cathedral, which uses nearly 65,000 bulbs. In all, the Netherlands produces more than nine million bulbs a year, with over 25,000 acres of farmland devoted to tulips alone. This is approximately half the total crop acreage in the Netherlands.

About two-thirds of the bulbs grown in the Netherlands are sold to other countries, particularly the US and Germany. Many other flowers are brought into the Netherlands to be auctioned off at the famous Aalsmeer auction. The facility where the auction is held occupies the largest commercial trading space in the world. Flowers and non-flowering plants arrive daily from growers around the world, including such places as Kenya, Columbia, Ecuador, Ethiopia and India. They are auctioned off and then shipped to markets all around the world before the day is over. The turnover at the Aalsmeer is nineteen million flowers and 2 million other plants daily. The annual sales volume is US $2 billion.

A number of tulip festivals are held each year in the United States, and they are often associated with Dutch heritage. The one in Holland, Michigan is the largest, with notable others in the Skagit Valley of Washington and Albany, New York. Closer to home, Pella, Iowa will host their annual tulip festival May 6 - 8 this year. Complete with a parade and wooden shoe dancers, there is also an abundance of blooming tulips (you can even order some from the Pella Garden Club), and plenty of good, local food.

If you're one of those people who get the winter doldrums from the short days and low light, forced bulbs may just be the remedy for brightening your mood. You can start your own, or simply visit a local florist where you'll be sure to find flowering plants from near and far, designed to delight.

Dr. Mari Loehrlein – Professor of Horticulture – School of Agriculture – Western Illinois University