Summer Bulbs all potted or planted!

[Robert_Parks]

About half the winter bulbs are lifted or in pot storage...the rest are going dormant at their own speed, probably dragged out by the 1.5"+ of unlikely rain in May.

The summer bulbs are a few randoms, but mostly Amorphophallus (plus other geophyte aroids), and this year's planters of Andean tubers. That was a lot of soil! Most of the aroids are in 1 to 10 gallon pots. The indoor lights are all shining on tropical/near tropical miniature aroids. The storage boxes have been emptied of summer bulbs and are filling with winter bulbs.

The front yard still has lots of spots of color from spring/summer bulbs, and the summer flowering perennials...but it is definitely getting less colorful. Lots of miniature flowers in the greenhouse, and Pelargonium incrassatum is still being improbably pink.

Front yard - Bomarea superba(?), Ixia viridiflora (plus interloper I. polystycha)
Under lights - Typhonium circinnatum with the rolled spathe
Back yard - Gorgonidium intermedium pushing up a bouquet of flowers, Amorphophallus konjac moving towards opening

[Judy Glattstein]

I'm jealous! You're all done potting / planting summer bulbs - sigh, I can only wish. I'm working my way through crates of cannas: CC. musaefolia, flaccida 'Purpurea', 'Bengal Tiger', 'Tropicana'. I need to harden my heart, next fall, and refuse to dig, clean, pack, and store ALL the canna tubers that multiply over the summer.

At least the potted crinum and xamarcrin are back outdoors, ditto the red spot banannas, and the hardy Musa basjoo are erupting skyward at their usually enthusiastic speed. Hippeastrum are in flower in the greenhouse, to be moved outdoors when I get the time.

My spirit is willing but my aging back has limitations.

[Robert_Parks]

I'm jealous! You're all done potting / planting summer bulbs - sigh, I can only wish. I'm working my way through crates of cannas: CC. musaefolia, flaccida 'Purpurea', 'Bengal Tiger', 'Tropicana'. I need to harden my heart, next fall, and refuse to dig, clean, pack, and store ALL the canna tubers that multiply over the summer.

At least the potted crinum and xamarcrin are back outdoors, ditto the red spot banannas, and the hardy Musa basjoo are erupting skyward at their usually enthusiastic speed. Hippeastrum are in flower in the greenhouse, to be moved outdoors when I get the time.

My spirit is willing but my aging back has limitations.

I have far fewer summer bulbs than winter, but they are mostly much bigger. So the potting is easier, once I remember to use the shovel to mix the soil. Moving them around is near a challenge. And they grow so fast...5" pot to 9-10" pot in one year. So far the biggest ones are maxed out in 20" pots. I foresee some winnowing come next fall,

[MarcR]

Robert and Judy,

A polycarbonate coldframe with a frame of 1" PVC pipe can be any dimension you need at fairly low cost and it can be lifted off your bed when the weather warms.
The effort to build and move it is a fraction of the effort to lift and store bulbs, or to move pots around.

[Robert_Parks]

Robert and Judy,

A polycarbonate coldframe with a frame of 1" PVC pipe can be any dimension you need at fairly low cost and it can be lifted off your bed when the weather warms.
The effort to build and move it is a fraction of the effort to lift and store bulbs, or to move pots around.

If I had space...

There is significant overlap of the area covered by summer bulbs and winter bulbs. Someday I'll get the warm summer storage area completed.