Perennial Flower Description
Lighting Your Garden With Perennial Bulbs
By Maureen Cook
What are perennial bulbs? Bulb is a general term used by
gardeners for plants which are highly condensed; their
embryonic roots, stem, leaves and flower are all contained
within them. Their resting period will end and growth begin
when optimum moisture and temperature conditions exist. These
conditions vary as different bulbs have different flowering and
resting periods, but as perennials they will die down and
produce new growth year on year.
Perennial bulbs are easily grown, and can provide wonderful
color in the garden all year round. The vast range of perennial
bulbs available means you can have dramatic, vibrant color or,
if you prefer, more muted, restful shades. The garden has been
described as a series of outdoor rooms. So, switch on the
spotlight for bold splashes of tulips and daffodils in the
spring; switch on the dimmer and, in the fall and winter, enjoy
the tapestry of pastel shades created by a carpet of blue
crocuses or pink cyclamens.
Before planting perennial bulbs it would be useful to consult
the color wheel. Imagine a clock face divided into six,
ten-minute sections. Starting at twelve o'clock, and turning
clockwise, we move through.the color spectrum: green, blue,
violet, red, orange and yellow. Colors from opposite segments
of the circle will produce the most dramatic effects: violet
tulips and golden daffodils, for example. Colors from adjacent
segments produce a more muted effect: purple crocuses and the
beautiful blue starry bells of scillas.
The hot colors are found mainly in perennial bulbs which flower
in late spring and summer. Tulips, crocosmias and the stately
cannas all offer dramatic color at this time. Crocosmias and
cannas all offer dramatic color at this time. Crocosmias and
cannas will have their vibrancy muted to an extent by their
bold, architectual leaves. In a mixed border, you can turn on
the spotlight by planting a large perennial bulb such as a
canna: its foliage will create the drama as much as its
color.
By contrast, using cool perennial bulbs of pale blue, blue pink
and even pale primrose, can make a very restful display,
particularly in an arrangement of patio containers or in
sinuous drifts winding through a border. A truly breathtaking
sight is a random planting of cool perennial bulbs in your
garden, under a deciduous tree, for example, which copies, on a
small scale, a woodland setting. Muscari, colchicums and
bluebells will lend a quiet charm to your miniature woodland
garden. The dimmer switch has been turned down low.
Of course, coolness is often associated with white. But the
component colors of the color wheel, including the “hot” ones,
together make white light. It is in this combination of
“white-hot” that some of the most exquisite effects can be
achieved with perennial bulbs. Scattered through spring and
fall borders, when light levels are less intense, the vertical
accents of the white snakes' head fritillary, white tulips and
the milky-white flowers of the cochicums help create a quiet
drama. Both the spotlight and the dimmer are on together.
Irresistible – plant perennial bulbs in the garden for
stunningly beautiful, year-round color.
About the Author:
Maureen Cook shows you how the wonderful range of colors found
in perennial bulbs can light up your garden. To find out how
you can use perennials in your garden tapestry, go to:
www.perennials.myknowledgevault.com
Read more articles by: Maureen
Cook
Article
Source: www.iSnare.com
Perennial Flower Description
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