Have you ever wondered exactly how flowers that are planted in the fall and undergo harsh winters are able to produce some of the most gorgeous flowers in the early spring? These bulb flowers are flowers that store food in their bulbs that are able to withstand the conditions under the ground even during harsh winters. There are a variety of different types of bulbs, each of which produce a different type of flower.
True Bulbs
True bulbs are probably the most common bulb even a non-gardener would be able to recognize. These rounded bulbs look a bit like a garlic bulb and have layers of skin that serve as the flower’s food, as well as protection during its growing phase. The shoot is the part of this flower that grows the stem, flowers and leaves. The most common type of true bulb is the tulip.
Corms
Corms are similar to true bulbs, but they have a flatter surface. The most common type of bulb flowers that come from corms is the crocus. The skin of the corm reproduces to make a new corm for the next season from which your crocus will grow. The exterior of the corm resembles an onion, but the interior, if it were to be cut in half, does not look like uniform layers like the interior of the true bulbs do.
Tubers
A tuber takes on a similar shape to that of the corms but does not have the outer layer of skin protection. Tubers actually look a bit mangled with the various eyes growing from its surface, which is what turns into the blooms. The best comparison to give a visual of what tubers look like is to think of the eyes of a potato. A popular tuber flower is the caladium.
Tuberous Roots
Tuberous roots are similar to tubers except they are single roots, rather than a ball of roots. They have the same mangled appearance and eyes growing out of its surface. These bulbs create popular spring flowers such as begonias and dahlias.
All these flower groups are considered bulbs, even though they are not “true” bulbs like that of the tulip. The one thing all these bulb flowers have in common is their ability to store food and make it through cold winters to produce gorgeous spring flowers that make everyone happy that winter is behind them once again.
You can find great collection of beautiful bulb flowers at Longfield Gardens. Find them online at Longfield-Gardens.com.
