Potluck Citrus Zest Punch Bulb Mix

Planting Instructions for Potluck Citrus Zest Punch Bulb Mix

1. When to Plant: Plant the Potluck Citrus Zest Punch Bulb Mix in spring after your last frost, once the soil has warmed. These are tender summer bulbs, so spring planting protects them from freezing. Gardeners in the warmest zones may plant a little earlier. For a longer gladiolus show, plant them in groups a couple of weeks apart.
2. Choosing the Right Location: Choose a spot in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct light per day. Plenty of sun keeps the gladiolus spikes straight and the dahlias and callas blooming heavily. Well-drained soil is equally important to prevent bulb rot, so avoid low areas where water collects.
3. Planting Depth and Spacing: Plant the 15 Orange Sun gladioli 4 to 6 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Set the 3 Yellow Sneezy dahlia tubers 4 to 6 inches deep and 12 to 18 inches apart, and plant the 3 Fantasia calla lilies 2 to 4 inches deep about 12 inches apart. Always place growing points facing up.
4. Watering After Planting: Water the bed thoroughly after planting to settle the soil. Then keep it evenly moist but never waterlogged while shoots emerge; dormant dahlia tubers and calla rhizomes are especially prone to rot in soggy, cool soil.

Care Instructions

1. Watering: Keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged throughout the growing season. Water deeply at the base of the plants, and check more often during hot, dry weather and while flower buds are forming. A layer of mulch helps hold moisture.
2. Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer every 4 to 6 weeks during the growing season. Water it in well so nutrients reach the roots, and stop feeding in late summer so the bulbs can prepare for dormancy.
3. Staking: Stake the tall gladioli and dahlias for support, especially in windy spots. Insert stakes at planting time or while shoots are small so you do not pierce the bulbs, and tie stems loosely as they grow.
4. Pest Monitoring: Check plants weekly for thrips on gladioli, slugs and earwigs on young dahlia shoots, and aphids on new growth. Handpick pests or rinse them off with water, remove damaged foliage, and keep the bed free of debris.

After Blooming

1. Foliage Care: Deadhead spent flowers to keep blooms coming; the dahlias continue into fall until frost. Leave the foliage in place until it yellows or is killed by frost, since the leaves feed the bulbs for next year.
2. Lifting and Storing: These bulbs can come back every year in USDA zones 7 to 10 when left in the ground with a layer of mulch. In colder zones, dig up the gladiolus corms, dahlia tubers, and calla rhizomes in fall, let them dry, and store them somewhere cool and dry in peat moss or vermiculite. Replant in spring.

Additional Tips for Growing Potluck Citrus Zest Punch Bulb Mix

1. Growing in Containers: The mix works well in large patio pots. Use a deep container with drainage holes and quality potting mix, and water more often than garden beds. Pots also make it easy to move the bulbs to a frost-free spot for winter.
2. Cut Flowers: All three flowers make excellent cut flowers. Gladioli add height, dahlias bring fullness, and calla lilies add elegance. Cutting blooms regularly also encourages the dahlias to produce more flowers through the season.
3. Shipping and Safety: This mix cannot ship to Arizona or Oregon due to state restrictions. As with most ornamental bulbs, keep bulbs and plants away from pets and children who might chew on them.