Bulbs
April! The temperature is dropping, and winter is definitely in the air. That means the bulbs can be planted. This weekend we are giving ourselves a bit of a break and going into the mountains for a hike and a hunt but next week the bulbs will be in the ground. It is funny to think Spring when really it is getting colder and colder by the day. Spring is my favourite time of the year and Tulips were always part of it. Tulips were always opening up around my birthday and having them around meant we are so close to a warm summer with loads of sun and fun.
Alpine Blooms will be supplying all sorts of bulbs to the lovely florists and public but I am most excited about Heirloom Narcissus and Tulips as they are my favourite early birds. I have spent a bit of time researching the names and varieties available in New Zealand and it does pain me to say that the selection is just not that great. Growing up in Europe tulips were abundant everywhere, and colours and varieties were amazing, not to mention the numbers that we saw everywhere. On the 9th May (the Victory day) we had the whole city planted in red tulips to commemorate the fallen. In New Zealand you see tulips sometimes used in garden beds in small numbers. It is my desire to be able to import exciting new varieties into New Zealand Market and sharing these varieties with keen growers and gardeners. But for now I have selected the varieties that are exciting and new to the market as well as some seasonal classics.
So the bulbs we are going to grow are:
- Tulips
- Heirloom Narcissus
- Ranunculus
- Anemone
- Lily
- Gladioli
All of these babies are now at my house waiting to be planted (except the lily bulbs – they are still in the planning stages as I am not sure which ones will do well in this climate as well as which ones I like the most!) As gardeners and flower lovers I am sure you all understand how hard this choice is, so many colours and shapes and varieties to choose from…I am also considering Freesia bulbs but haven’t taken this leap of faith yet.
So what are the varieties that you will see coming out of Alpine Blooms farm this year? Well here they are, sorry no photos at this stage as there are a lot of them and I haven’t seen them bloom yet.
- Tulips
- Menton Unique
- Feather Flag
- Super Parrot
- Camargue
- Rainbow Mix
- White Liberstar
- London
- Strong Gold
- Snow Board
- Spring Green
- Foxtrot
- Angelique
- Mascotte
- Honeymoon
- Heirloom Narcissus
- King Alfred
- Red Cup Mix
- Earlycheer
- Ice Follies
- Mount Hood
- Ranunculus
- Ranunculus Mix
- Ranunculus – Mahogany
- Ranunculus – Salmon
- Ranunculus – White
- Ranunculus – Red
- Ranunculus – Pink
- Anemone
- Bordeaux
- The Bride
- Blue Poppy
- De Caen Mixed
- Gladioli
- Giant Mix
- Flevo Breezer
- Flevo Frizzle
- Passos
