MINIATURE BULB PLANTS
Chionodoxa Liliaceae Glory-of-the-Snow
Early April flowers that disregard unfavorable weather. Leaves are narrow and grassy and disappear after the flowering period. Flowers are open-faced with short tubes.
gigantea—Largest flowers, pastel lavender-blue. Strong stems that don’t fall over in bad weather.
luciliae—Five or more flowers per five-inch stem, bright sky-blue with white centers. The variety alba is white; rosea, pink.
sardensis—Like luciliae, but deeper blue without the white eye.
CARE. Gritty soil. Moisture. Mulch with manure in the fall. Light and sun. Hardy and easy to grow. Makes a ground carpet.
PROPAGATION. Seeds (seeds itself except for some varieties which increase below ground), offshoots.
SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, rock gardens, forcing.
Colchicum Liliaceae Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron
Usually called crocus, this fall bloomer actually is a lily.
autumnale—Crocus-like flowers four inches across from September to frost. Leaves two inches wide in spring. Usually has purple flowers. There are several varieties: album, white; roseum, pink and often double; ‘The Giant,’ large, late, lilac and white (best-known variety).
bornmuelleri—Generally considered the finest species with five-inch-wide flowers, rosy-lilac turning to purple and the tube white.
luteum—Rare spring-flowering species, flowers yellow and smaller, leaves slim and less conspicuous.
speciosum—Large leaves, and flowers with pink or white throats. The white variety album is also large and is often considered the most beautiful of hardy bulbous plants.
CARE. Soil loamy, slightly acid. Sun or partial shade. Plant in colonies in August, two to three inches deep. Let leaves mature.
PROPAGATION. Separate bulbs. Division of corms. Seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Borders, rock gardens, forcing.
Crocus Iridaceae
There are three general kinds of these grassy-leaved plants with flaring flowers of several colors. The large flowering “Dutch” hybrids flower in the spring; the usual spring-flowering varieties come earlier and last longer; other species flower in the fall.
biflorous—Spring. Bright-purple flowers with darker stripes, yellowish throat.
medius—Fall. Bright-orchid flowers with very pale throat.
sativus—Fall. Pastel-lilac flowers accented with scarlet stamens.
seiberi—Spring. Yellow-throated lavender flowers.
speciosus—Fall. Light blue with fiery orange stigmas.
tomasinianus—Spring. Palest pinkish-blue.
versicolor—Spring. Lilac with purple streaks, or, in the variety picturatus, white with purple feathering.
zonatus—Fall. Rosy lavender with orange inside.
CARE. Soil, sandy and drained. Not much fertilizer. Full sun. Hardy, but winter mulch is often helpful. Divide seldom and replant at once. Be on alert for rodents.
PROPAGATION. Offsets, seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens, colonization.
Cyclamen Primulaceae
These are the country cousins of the florist’s cyclamen but smaller in size. Their substantial, heart-shaped leaves are often beautifully marked in marbled patterns and are in a circle near the ground. Generally they are evergreen through the winter but drop before the flowers appear. Each blossom hangs from its own stem with turned-back tubes. Some varieties blossom in summer and fall, some (indoors or in suitable climates) flower In winter or very early spring. A number of varieties are available.
atkinsi—Crimson flowers in January, foliage marbled. The variety album has white flowers; roseum is pink.
cilicicum—Purple-throated pale-pink flowers on five-inch stems (in September), small marbled leaves.
coum—Blooms in February and March; choice of red, white, or pink. Dark-green foliage.
europaeum—Fragrant red flowers in late summer. Leaves marbled.
libanoticum—Large flowers with dainty pink blending into white, in early spring. Foliage marbled.
neapolitanum—Exquisite silver-zoned leaves follow the rosy-pink flowers that push their buds through the soil in September. The variety album is white.
repandum—Red-purple flowers with wide-flaring petals, in April.
CARE. Humusy soil, with drainage. Must never dry out, but roots must never stand in water. Humidity in greenhouse. Outdoors, shade. Small amount of lime. Once established, small amounts of rotted manure.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, and division (plant with top of tuber at surface; may be dormant first year after planting).
SPECIAL USES. Rock and woodland gardens, forcing.
Eranthis Ranunculaceae Winter Aconite
Often during a mild January or February this little flower blooms with its butter-yellow cup on a stem only four inches above the ground. The finely-cut leaves form a collar below the blooms.
‘Cuinia’—Slightly later and faintly fragrant.
hyemalis—Long-stemmed ferny leaves with clear yellow flowers. The variety cilicica has deeper-colored flowers and brownish leaves.
‘Tubergeni’—A hybrid with larger golden flowers.
CARE. Soil woodsy, not too acid. (Plant is dormant in summer.)
PROPAGATION. Division of roots.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, pockets atop walls, forcing.
Galanthus nivalis Amaryllidaceae Snowdrop
An early-flowering plant that often has blooms sticking up through March snow. The narrow leaves form a base for six-inch stems with fragrant white bell-shaped flowers.
Several varieties are available: flore-pleno, double; maximus, larger and less frail-looking flowers; viride-apice, white petals tipped with green.
CARE. Soil heavy, moist, and cool. Considerable shade, but only opens fully in the sun. Top-dress with manure in the fall. Hardy.
PROPAGATION. In fall plant bulbs three to four inches deep, near deciduous trees or shrubs. Most effective in groups. Spreads by self-seeding.
SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock and wild gardens.
Gladiolus Iridaceae
In a small woodland garden only the miniature gladiolus is suitable; they are little fellows two and a half inches in height or less. A number of these small ones are available. Named varieties are:
‘Glee,’ ‘Gnome,’ ‘Impresario,’ ‘Little Egypt,’ ‘Little Fawn,’ ‘Little Red Star,’ ‘Little Spice,’ ‘Periwinkle,’ ‘Pinkie Dots,’ ‘Pint Size,’ ‘Whirlybird,’ ‘Red Button,’ ‘Red Dot,’ ‘Red Tweedle,’ ‘Tom Thumb,’ ‘Wee Red.’ As a point of information, the term “small” applies to plants from two and a half to three and a half inches high.
CARE. Good garden soil. If manure is to be used, it should be applied the year previous and worked into the soil; it should not come into contact with the corms. Drainage. Sun.
PROPAGATION. Plant corms or bulbs.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, beds.
Hyacinthus Liliaceae Hyacinth
The large formal hyacinths of the regular garden have a number of relatives that are small, delicate, and graceful, including two midget species:
amethystinus—Early-flowering Spanish species with typically flat leaves and nodding blue bell flowers on spikes seldom over five inches. There is also a white variety, albus.
ciliatus (azureus)—Slightly smaller with stiff three-inch spikes, blue-green leaves often hairy on the edges, and blue flowers. The variety albus is white.
CARE. Rich fertile soil. Drainage. Mulch if no leaves fall on plants. Sun.
PROPAGATION. Division, seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens.
Leucojum Amaryllidaceae Snowflake
The long leaves are about a half-inch wide and in a basal circle from which the stems stretch up to hold nodding bell flowers marked on the edge with bright-green dots.
aestivum—summer snowflake—Flowers in May. About nine inches tall, it may be a little large for really small gardens.
vernum—spring snowflake—One fragrant bell flower to each six-inch stem, in April.
CARE. Soil rich and sandy, drainage, protect from hot sun.
PROPAGATION. Detach bulblets after leaves wither. Self-seeds. Increases rather fast. Plant bulblets three to four inches deep.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens.
Muscari Liliaceae Grape Hyacinth
These slim-leaved plants come in a wide variety with a selection of flowering times from early March through May and have clusters of flowers that look bright and grape-like or soft and plumy.
armeniacum—Violet-blue flowers on six-inch stems. The variety cantab blooms in mid-spring, clear blue and sweet-scented. ‘Early Giant’ is larger and earlier. True blue.
botryoides album—Heavenly white and fragrant. The most compact and suitable for smaller gardens, or forcing.
comosum monstrosum (plumosum)—feather or tassel hyacinth—Lavender feather dusters in late May.
moschatum flavum—Out-of-the-ordinary purple flowers turning to yellowish in March and April. One of the smaller species.
pacemosum—Fragrant, deep-blue flowers on eight-inch stems.
parodoxum—Flowers of blue so dark they’re nearly black.
tubergianum—A newly introduced species, with the top flowers turning lighter, and the lower ones darker. (Mid-April.)
CARE. Soil deep, rich, and sandy. Drainage. Sun or light shade.
PROPAGATION. Offsets, seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens.
Narcissus Amaryllidaceae Daffodil
It is very unlikely that the average gardener realizes how many varieties in the narcissus world are under six inches in height at maturity. One catalogue lists over two hundred names of little varieties for little gardens. Obviously, only a few can be mentioned here.
bulbocodium—hoop-skirt daffodil—The “trumpet” is drawn in a bit at the mouth, making it more like a balloon than a trumpet. Six smallish petals twist and turn shyly behind. All varieties are under six inches tall. Among the smallest are three-inch, scented, white-flowering monophyllus (for forcing only); obesus, with a fat yellow trumpet; tunifolium, smaller, brighter, and later than the species; and scented vulgaris nivalis, the smallest of all at two to three inches and very early. The variety conspicuus is the easiest to grow and about four inches tall.
cyclamineus—The nodding trumpets are long and slim, the petals fold straight back around the stem, giving a feeling of motion. The species is all yellow and about four inches high. Among the smallest hybrids are ‘Milky-White,’ ‘Yindee,’ ‘Minicycla,’ deep yellow ‘Jetage,’ and ‘Flute.’
jonquilla—Like the familiar jonquils, these are usually scented and have small, flattish cups with a neat ruff of flat petals around the neck. The variety atlanticus is pure white and four inches high; the variety juncifolius is three inches high and has several scented yellow flowers per stem. ‘Peachblossom’ is similar and one inch taller.
tazetta—Similar to jonquils, but the cups are even smaller and flatter. They are mostly early flowering and have several blooms to a stem. The species is twelve inches tall, but the variety lacticolor (canaliculatas) is only four inches, with yellow cup and white petals that flare back. ‘Halenzy’ combines pale yellow and white. ‘Shrew’ is the tiniest.
triandrus—angel’s tears—Several drooping flowers per stem, the center cup-shaped, the petals turned back and twisted rather like a tiny fuchsia flower. Among the varieties, albus is all white, and three to four inches high; concolor is all gold; ‘Frosty Morn’ is white; ‘Poppet’ has yellow petals and a white cap.
trumpet—Miniature replicas of the familiar larger types, the flaring trumpet standing out from a collar of six petals. In some types the petals are flat, in others wavy or twisted. Among these, asturiensis (minimus) is the smallest of all daffodils; minar (nanus) is slightly larger, two to three inches tall; ‘Wee Bee’ is lemon yellow and five inches tall. ‘Little Beauty’ has two shades of yellow; ‘Sneezy’ is all yellow, and four inches high.
CARE. Average soil (acid or alkaline), not too heavy, not too light. Drainage. Fertilize little and use only bone meal. Mulch with stone chips to prevent flowers being spattered with mud during rain.
PROPAGATION. Bulbs. Plant in August if possible. Plant in groups because of small size. Allow space for increase. Plant smallest bulbs one and a half inches deep; large bulbs, the depth of bulb itself. Don’t disturb unless crowded.
SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens, containers.
Oxalis Oxalidaceae
Bulbous or tuberous shamrock-leaved perennials with five-petaled, buttercup-shaped flowers that close in the dark, most of them much hardier than realized and all suitable for indoor or greenhouse planting.
adenophylla—Blue-green leaflets, clusters of pink flowers with deeper pink veins (May and June). Three inches tall. Hardy.
enneaphylla—Tuberous-rooted perennial with gray-green leaves and large white-purple veined flowers; two inches. Spring bloomer.
lasiandra—More fragile species, bulbous with tight clusters of deep-rose flowers. Dig and store in fall, or provide protection. Sun.
rubra (crassipes)—Not bulbous but with thickened roots. Pink flowers in clusters above the leaves.
variabilis rubra—Dense mats of fresh green leaves under deep-pink flowers, some two inches across. Hardy as rubra.
CARE. Average soil. Dig and store bulbs of some species.
PROPAGATION. Division of roots, bulbs.
SPECIAL USES. House plants, rock planting, containers.
Sternbergia lutea Amaryllidaceae Winter Daffodil
Popularly called a daffodil and compared to a crocus, but these small amaryllids beat both of those plants for durability and distinction. They have up-facing butter-yellow flowers like squat, flaring, two-inch vases. They bloom in mid-September with the flowers lasting some weeks. The narrow leathery leaves often last through the winter but die back by spring. Fragrant.
CARE. Heavy soil, barely acid. Dry, drainage. Sun.
PROPAGATION. Bulbs.
SPECIAL USES. Forcing, rock gardens.
Tulipa Liliaceae Tulip
These are typical tulips with flowers that are up-facing bells or saucers, but are varied in shape, colors, and markings of the petals. They keep tightly closed after dark and on dark days but open wide in the sun. The foliage may be wide or grassy, clean green or mottled. Included here are only the smallest available species.
batalini—Twisted, narrow leaves and soft creamy-yellow flowers (in April).
biflora—Only two or three slim, tapered leaves around a four-inch flower stem bearing from one to three long, striped buds which open to flat, white, star-shaped flowers with golden centers. Often blooms in March. Variety turkestanica has wider leaves and up to ten flowers per stem.
dasystemon (tarda)—Polished blue-green leaves fan out flat under three-inch stems with bouquets (three to five) of yellow-centered white flowers. Some have pointed petals striped lengthwise with green on the outside. (Mid-April.)
eichleri—Typically broad leaves, stems six to eight inches, fiery-red flowers with gold and blue-black centers and gold stripes outside.
kaufmanniana—water-lily tulip—The leaves are very broad, short, and sharply pointed; the stems are sturdy and five inches long. The flowers are very large, creamy yellow marked with carmine (in April). There are many named varieties with flowers in shades and combinations of gold, scarlet, cream, and even salmon pink.
kolpakowskiana—Long, blue-green leaves waved on the edges, yellow flowers blotched with brick red on the outside (in April).
linifolia—Narrow, wavy leaves and six-inch stems topped with satiny scarlet flowers, marked with blue-black at the heart (in April).
patens (persica)—Slim, arching leaves, stems with one to three flowers, yellow, darker outside, fragrant (in May).
puchella—Early, even before the daffodils. Slim leaves. Flowers an odd shade of lavender and tinged red. Slightly larger.
stellata chrysantha (originally considered a species, chrysantha)—Curved-down blue-green leaves, six-inch stems; cherry-flushed yellow flowers opening to flat stars (in April).