Corms Bulbs at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

Bulbs and corms bulbs—Miscellaneous Propagation.—Small bulbs and corms bulbs sprout at first like warts from the parent. When suitably developed they should be detached and planted in separate pots. Propagation from stems containing aerial roots is commonly done with Ivy, Philodendron, and Xephthytis. Layering is the name applied to bending down a succulent shoot, for example, of Carnations, and pegging it to make a point of contact with the soil. The roots will form at the point of contact, and the shoot is then detached from the parent. Iris spreads by rhizomes, which are thick, succulent, underground growths.

I planned and set out a small bulb bed (really corms bulbs and bulbs) this fall and it began to bloom within two weeks of planting—there was no long wait for roots to develop, no months of winter twilight before the flowers appeared! Yet no magic was involved. For the bulbs were six species of colchicum (Colchicum spp.), three species of the fall- ] flowering crocus (Crocus spp.), and a clump of Sternbergia lutea, all autumn-flowering plants.

The fall-flowering crocus are members of the iris family and, like their spring relatives, welcome to the garden scene, especially on a crisp autumn day. They bloom from early September to November. Plant the corms bulbs 4 inches deep and 3 inches apart. After three or four years you will note that the corms bulbs have come close to—if not reached—the top of the ground. This is because the new corms bulbs form on top of the old, just like bricks are added to a wall, and eventually reach the surface. When this happens just dry them off and replant in July.