What are the best bulbs for the South? Every day I am asked, about the best tulip, hyacinth, daffodil, or bulb in general for the South (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, etc). To start, you have to first realize something about the right bulbs for warm climates (this goes for California also). They generally do not need to experience a cold winter in order to make them bloom (something referred to as the amount of chilling hours). The next thing you want to make sure is that your bulb can survive in the humidity that we experience in the summer, and if your humidity is really thick, you might want to consider tropical or semi-tropical bulbs (like crinums and rain lilies) which would be the best bulbs in warm, humid climates. Most importantly though, the gardener needs to ask what is meant by “best.” Really, what is your purpose with the bulb? For the rest of this little piece, “best” will be defined as a bulbs ability to survive and bloom every year in a warm, humid climate without having to be dug or refrigerated.

The best tulip for the South: This would be a tulip that 1) does not need a lot of cold to trigger a bloom and 2) will not rot during the summer months. Many people know of Tulipa clusiana (the candlestick tulip, Clusius’ tulip). More to come on this later.

The best hyacinth for the South: Many hyacinths come back year after year, long after loosing the form they originally held when they first bloomed. The result is a transformation from a tight thick rosette of flowers to a more dainty appearance. This dainty appearance is also what characterizes a class of hyacinths known to survive in the South for well over 100 years by the name of Roman hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis). They also come in shades of white, blue, and pink, although the pink form is very hard to find and authenticate. Blooms are smaller but they clump into nice displays of color for almost a month and the fragrance has more of a spice than the normal candy smell. Both fragrances are delicious though.

The best daffodil for the South: Daffodil is a name liberally used to describe all trumpet shaped Narcissus sp. The Narcissus genus traditionally does superb in the South with some definite stand outs. This class is home to a group called the tazettas (Narcissus tazetta) which includes bulbs such as paperwhites and close relatives of the paperwhites such as the Chinese sacred lily (Narcissus tazetta orientalis), double Roman (Narcissus tazetta ‘Double Roman’), Italicus (Narcissus tazetta italicus), and the grand primo (Narcissus tazetta ‘Grand Primo’). All bloom nice and fill in a gap when color normally does not exist in the garden (December to early February). Other “daffodil” varieties include the Lent Lily (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) which is blooming right now and is reportedly the first bulb assigned the name “daffodil”.

Other favorite Narcissus varieties that are coming into bloom are the jonquil (Narcissus jonquila), campernelle (Narcissus x odorus), and we will soon have the Texas star blooming (Narcissus x intermedius). Jonquils are valued for their ability to set seed and naturalize large areas with a sweet smelling scent and nice dark green cylindrical foliage. The campernelle is a hybrid between jonquils and the Lent lily and they have a jonquil smell and larger flower. Their foliage is also slightly curved from the Lent lily parentage and partly semi-cylindrical representing the jonquil parentage. The smell on the bloom is sweet like the jonquil. The Texas star is a hybrid between a jonquil and a tazetta, and the result is jonquil type bloom on a plant with “tazetta toughness.” It is widely adapted and propagated quick.

Best flower bulb for the South: It could the magenta triploid Byzantine gladiolus (Gladiolus byzantinus), the red and white garden superstar hardy amaryllis (Hippeastrum x johnsonii), the grand primo (Narcissus tazetta ‘Grand Primo), or the crinums and rain lilies we have on our website right now (www.southernbulbs.com). The trick is to figure out what you want your bulb for. Don’t forget to mark your calendars also, because when you look around and see all of the daffodils blooming this spring, you have to remember to buy and plant them in the fall. We are always here for bulb questions, so if you have questions about the best, most suitable, perennial, historic bulbs for the South, Southern type climates, or other warm climates, please visit our website (www.southernbulbs.com) or feel free to e-mail us using the contact information on the site.

Pictures shown from top to bottom: a) unkown hyacinth variety from old home in South Carolina with two jonquil blooms b) handful of Roman hyacinths from the farm c) Ben in front of a field of naturalized jonquils and other daddodils in North Central Louisiana d) picture by Dr. Bill Welch (author of Perennial Garden Color) of Byzantine gladiolus and hardy amaryllis at entrance to his cottage in Central Texas.