Flowering bulbs are putting on a show in the spring garden, writes gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON… and she’s happy to play favourites.

Spring flowering bulbs are putting on a show in the garden and my favourite this season is Hippeastrum Papilio. 

The trumpet flowers are a show stopper and once established like most South African bulbs, they grow with minimal care. 

They make a great choice for small spaces as a potted display or a cut flower for the vase. 

From planting the bulb to flower, it can take five to six weeks and generally the peak flowering period is November to December. 

They prefer soil that is slightly acidic and don’t like to be planted too deeply. The foliage appears after the flowers. Its large, green and strappy foliage can fill a space planted under trees.

I grow Papilio in a large pot in my glasshouse, but if there is a spot where there is winter protection, they can grow outdoors in our climate. Fertilise while they are growing with a liquid or organic slow-release fertiliser. 

NOW that the soil is beginning to warm, keep on top of weeding winter weeds such as sticky weed, vetch and flick weed. Once these set seed they become an issue and can be hard to manage. 

Weed and mulch the same area quickly to get on top of the weeds and the mulch will help retain moisture in the soil for summer. 

THE Algerian Iris (Iris unguicularis) flowers in the winter and is a great border plant on driveways and pathways. It will survive full sun in the summer garden and is drought hardy when established. 

They grow to about 40 centimetres. Cut them to the ground once a year in autumn. 

Their rich blue flowers will die down once the warmer weather comes and the long, strappy leaves will grow through summer.

There are other iris varieties suitable for a shaded part of the garden where it is difficult to grow anything.

Iris foetidissima grows well in Canberra with showy yellow or blue flowers and followed by autumn red berries. There’s a variegated variety on my wish list that would look stunning in a shaded summer corner. 

Deadheading before the berries are ripe will ensure it doesn’t spread to areas it shouldn’t. 

Like all iris, they have rhizomatous roots, so it’s easy to propagate and now is the perfect time to divide any rhizome plants such as kangaroo paws, canna lilies and many types of ferns by digging up with a shape spade. 

Remove the clumps from the ground and tease the soil out from the clump and then you will see the underground growing parts that are different from roots and bulbs. They can be cut into sections, preferably that have roots attached, and planted back into the garden. 

Jottings

• Prune flowering hedges such as viburnum and photinias after flowering. 

• Feed winter flowering bulbs as foliage is dying back. 

• Liquid feed all vegetables to get them growing fast. 

• Directly sow large seeds of corn, zucchini and pumpkins for summer harvest. 

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au