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Regional Differences and Bulbs
Matching Bulbs to Your Climate and Conditions
Regardless of where you garden, there are many options of bulbs for your landscape.
While every garden can grow some bulb species, each species is naturally adapted to certain preferred growing conditions.
Bulbs are remarkably able to survive seasonal and even long-lasting periods of drought, only to flower when moisture becomes available again. It’s important to look at their other needs, too.
Bloom Season and Regional Climates
As described before, bulbous plants divide into four convenient groups according to when they bloom: spring, summer, autumn, and tropical or evergreen bulbs [for a refresher, see: Bulb Basics and Bulbs and Seasons of Bloom].
Spring Bulbs
Spring-blooming bulbs mostly are native to areas with hot, dry summers and cool or cold, wet winters. They include daffodil and other narcissus, crocus, some fritillary, hyacinth, iris, ornamental onion, and tulip.
Summer Bulbs
Most summer-blooming bulbs originate in regions with climates of warm, rainy summers and cool, dry winters. Caladium, canna, dahlia, daylily, gladiolus, and lily are popular summer-flowering bulbs found in home landscapes.
Autumn Bulbs
Autumn- and early winter-blooming bulbs are adapted to climates with hot, dry summers, moist autumns, and mild to cool, dry winters. Examples of autumn-blooming bulbs are hardy begonia, caladium, autumn-blooming crocus, meadow saffron, and sternbergia.
Evergreen and Tropical Bulbs
Evergreen bulbs mostly live in areas with intermittent rains and mild temperatures; others are found in tropical locales with occasional dry periods. They retain year-round foliage and bloom when moisture is abundant. Examples of these tender bulbs include amaryllis, tuberous begonia, perennial ginger, and lily-of-the-Nile.
Best Locations for Bulbs
Spring-blooming bulbs are the most hardy bulb species. Some bulbs, in fact, are native to near-arctic regions: spring crocus are one such species
Regions of the United States with these conditions are found in inland areas of the northern tier of states, the Intermountain West, the Catskills and Appalachian mountains of the East and Mid-Atlantic states, Alaska, and most population centers in Canada.
Pay special attention to the spring-blooming bulbs if you garden in these areas.
Regional Variations for Major Bulb Groups
Summer-blooming bulbs generally are a bit less hardy than the spring-blooming bulb species. They include various lilies, gladiolus, and irises.
Fortunately, if lifted in the autumn and stored properly, they are great flowering bulbs for landscapes nearly everywhere in the United States and southern Canada except the desert Southwest.
Autumn-blooming bulbs tend to the hardy side of the scale, like their spring-blooming cousins. Some, such as cyclamen, shrug off even quite significant frost and continue blooming.
They do prefer cool, dry conditions, however, so gardens in Florida, southern Texas, southern California, and Hawaii may struggle to keep them thriving from year to year.
Evergreen and tropical bulbs are, well, semi-tropical. Plant them permanently in very mild-winter regions, or as container plants in colder areas. They love humidity and moisture when it’s available, but react to dry spells and overly dry air by going temporarily dormant.
Coastal regions of the United States, British Columbia, the Gulf Coast, and the Atlantic coastal plains south of Maryland welcome bulbs from all of the hardy species and seasonal flowering classes. The timing of their plantings is what’s different about them compared to other regions. [see: Bulb Basics].
Regardless of where you garden, there are many options for bulbs in your landscape.