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

When we prepared our list of wanted bulbs, one of the considerations was when they bloomed and for how long. We hoped to have flowers from the beginning of April (about the time our mountain snows truly melt) at least until the end of May. We also wanted a permanent arrangement that would produce for a number of years without a great deal of care. True, the leaves of the past-blooming plants would have to remain as the bulbs ripened but by that time we knew we could scatter annuals about for camouflage. And, too, the perennial border and the other flower beds in the garden would detract from the browning leaves. We began with crocuses choosing Crocus chrysanthus 'Princess Beatrix', a clear lobelia-like blue with a golden yellow base, and C sieberi 'Firefly' that opens to a rich lilac with a yellow base. Both bloom as the snows disappear.

One of the most popular ways of growing bulbs—snowdrops, daffodils and crocuses, in particular—is to naturalize them in drifts so they spread at will. This is usually done in grass, but those bulbs preferring shady woodland conditions can be naturalized in soil under trees and shrubs. It is also possible to establish bulbs beneath a planting of ground cover like scrambling ivies.

5 Bulbs and roots are widely grown. Onions (A] were an important crop in ancient Egypt. The shallot [B] forms new bulbs by the side of the old. The 7 Sweet peppers [A] belong to the genus Capsicum, native of the American tropics. The seed pods of okra or gumbo [B] are picked ten weeks after planting.