Odyssey Bulbs

PO Box 382 South Lancaster, MA 01561 800-517-5152

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We detail each bulb's ornamental features, collection code (if applicable), height, month(s) of bloom (in our USDA zone 5b locale, except as noted), Royal Horticultural Society awards received (AGM = Award of Garden Merit; AM = Award of Merit; FCC = First Class Certificate), and cultural preferences. We base our descriptions on personal experience, reliable references, and educated guesswork. To estimate bloom time in your area, multiply the difference between our USDA zone number and yours by 1 to 2 weeks. Unless otherwise indicated, listed bulbs favor full sun (while in leaf) and well-drained, reasonably fertile soil. Their other cultural preferences -- and their likelihood of success in your region -- vary widely, however, depending largely on their native climate, which we categorize thus:

• Montane: Cold, snowy winters; cool, moist springs; mild, dryish to moist summers. U.S. geographical range: western mountains.
• Maritime: Cool to cold, moist winters; cloudy springs; mild, moist summers. Range: coastal Northeast; immediate coastal Northwest.
• Modified continental: Cold to cool, moist winters; hot, moist summers. Range: eastern Midwest; interior Northeast; Mid-Atlantic; upper South.
• Continental: Cold to cool, dryish winters; hot, showery, droughty summers. Range: western Midwest; Plains.
• Steppe (Cold Mediterranean): Cold, relatively moist winters; dry, hot summers. Range: interior Northwest to Great Basin.
• Mediterranean: Mild, relatively moist winters; mild to hot, dry summers. Range: western California; interior coastal Northwest.
• Subtropical: Mild, dry to moist winters; warm to hot, damp summers. Range: lower South.
• Tropical: Warm to hot winters and summers. Range: lower Florida.

Of course, we oversimplify climate's infinite variety. Moreover, you shouldn't dismiss a bulb merely because its native climate differs from yours; it may, in fact, thrive (and if it doesn't flourish in the open, it might do so in the shelter of a greenhouse, bulb frame, or south-facing wall). But the above generalities should help you determine the plants and cultural methods best suited to your conditions. For example, most bulbs from dry-summer climates require porous soil if grown in wet-summer regions, just as bulbs from wet-summer climates often need supplemental summer irrigation in dry-summer areas.

Additionally, we include (with some hesitation) a conservative estimate of the USDA zone to which each bulb is cold-hardy . Keep in mind, however, that a bulb's tolerances vary widely with cultural conditions and climate. For example, many steppe and Mediterranean bulbs considered tender in Great Britain and other maritime regions are quite hardy in hot-summer areas of the U.S (casting suspicion on the hardiness ratings of British references such as the RHS Manual of Bulbs ). Moreover, some extremely cold-hardy bulbs are intolerant of hot summers or mild winters. Unless its native range is known, a bulb's hardiness ratings -- particularly if it is rare in U.S. gardens -- mean little (and they should always be viewed with at least a trace of skepticism). As for us (and for most other plant fanatics, many of whom consider hardiness ratings to be a contemptible canard), we usually assume a plant to be at least a zone hardier than its customary rating, until proven otherwise.