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Saturday, August 29, 2020

What is your favorite flower? - Jamestown Sun

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Tuberose is a very fragrant flower from the tropics. It is native of Mexico and Central America but very few are left in the wild and are grown domestically now for a variety of uses throughout the world where it doesn’t freeze. Of course, some are grown for garden plantings and others are grown for the floral industry where they can make use of their tall stems and long-lasting blooms. Commercially they are grown for their fragrance to make perfumes.

Growing tuberose does not guarantee a flower stem each year as it is dependent on warm temperatures and the size of the tuber that is planted. Most tubers are acquired through catalogs, specialty nurseries or via friends and connections.

The best soil to grow the tubers in is a rich organic soil high in nutrients. However, the durable tuber can also grow in sandy or clay soils but this typically causes the plant to grow a bit slower and develop flower stems that are shorter than average.

They enjoy a good amount of water but never want a soil that doesn’t drain or stays too wet for too long as this will cause tuber rot. Full sun is always preferred and make sure you plant these in your hotter spots in the yard as they need this heat.

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Bulbs or tubers are planted just below the soil line in either the ground or a container. Since these plants are not hardy for our area, I always encourage a container so they can just be brought in over winter during their dormant period where they dry up and rest. Water lightly until leaves begin to appear, then increase their watering as they grow. It can take up to four months of warm temperatures for a bloom stem to appear. These bloom stems emerge from the whorl of leaves created at the base and elongate skyward. They can reach 1 1/2 to 3 feet tall before the bloom buds start to open. The day they open you will definitely know it due to their fragrance that permeates the evening air. Stems are fairly strong so they do not require staking to remain upright, which is always an added bonus.

Most plants tend to develop clusters of single flowers on a tall stem with about a dozen blooms per stem. The majority of them bloom in shades of white, pale pink and ivory. The “Pearl” variety is a double bloom with a slightly larger flower blooming in a cream tone. All are equally fragrant and a couple blooming stems can fill an entire room with their heady scent for over a week indoors.

Because of their heavy fragrance, this is one of the flowers used to make perfume in the commercial world along with jasmine, roses, gardenias, orange blossoms and lavender, to name a few. Just to give you an idea of how many flowers are needed to process in order to make perfume, it takes 3,600 pounds of flowers to create 1 pound of processing attar that is used in perfumes. Now keep in mind, at this point only a few drops are needed per batch because of its potency. If you ever get the chance to visit a working old-world factory that extracts the scents from flowers in the field, I suggest you take that opportunity as the process is absolutely amazing to witness.

Once the fall season arrives and the weather begins to cool, the leaves of the tuberose will begin to shut down and start to yellow. At this point no further bloom stems will be created and the tubers head into dormancy. Many instructions say you should lift the tubers and store them in a cool, dark and dry location. I usually just leave them in my containers and make sure that the soil is dry before placing them into storage. They have come back for nearly a decade now.

In the spring season before placing them back out into the garden, make sure you divide the tubers if they became thick the season before. Too many tubers per container will be crowded and will also halt the formation of bloom stems. I have a 14-inch bowl that is about 6 inches deep that I plant five to six bulbs in. Save the largest bulbs for planting and share all the smaller ones with others if you like or create more containers to enjoy yourself.

When the tuberose bloom, they will reward you with beauty, elegance and scent to comfort your garden. It is one of the few blooms I truly enjoy in such a small space on the deck. If this is one you would like to try, hit me up in the spring. I’m sure I might have some young ones I could give you!

The Link Lonk


August 29, 2020 at 06:00PM
https://www.jamestownsun.com/lifestyle/home-and-garden/6634020-What-is-your-favorite-flower

What is your favorite flower? - Jamestown Sun

https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

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