How to Care for Tuberoses like a Colonial Gardener
Not only is there a feast for our eyes, our sense of smell is also delighted by the likes of the Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa). Found in 18th-century gardens of some Williamsburg residents such as John Custis IV, these flowers are enjoyed today in the Colonial Garden. On a warm summer day at dusk, the scent of the tuberose will drift as far as across Duke of Gloucester Street.
Tuberoses are perennial in zones 8a-11b. A native of Mexico, they are classed as a bulb that requires a warm climate with adequeate water and fertilizer. For those who do not garden in these warm zones, and Williamsburg is one of them, if you plant your tuberoses in the ground, you will have to dig the bulbs and bring them indoors over the winter. Another solution is to plant in flower pots that can be brought in for the winter. The following directions will guide you through the process of overwintering, dividing and potting up your bulbs. I promise that this work is well worth the effort.
Blooming Tuberose in the Colonial Garden. The name is pronounced as two words, tube and rose.
Step 1
Since the winters are too cold for our tuberoses, we choose to plant them in large flower pots as specimen plants. If you choose to plant them in the ground, you will have to dig the bulbs up and bring them in for the winter. We’ll go over overwintering at the end of this post.
These are the bulbs from last year still in their pot. The tips of the bulbs are level with the surface of the soil. If planted too deep, they may not bloom or bloom poorly.
Step 2
The roots and soil are a solid mass so it is safe to turn the whole thing on its top, taking care to protect the tips of the bulbs. Not seen are the pottery shards that have been consumed by the roots and out of sight. Take care to find, and remove them. We use shards of broken flowerpots and large clam shells to provide drainage and keep the soil from washing out of the bottom of the drainage hole.
Step 3
Gently pull apart the clumps of bulbs and turn the plants right side up. Note the stem from last year and how many new offsets or bulbs were formed during the last growing season. Pull apart the clumps, look for large bulbs and the center of the clump from last year. Last seasons bulb clusters will be some of the largest, and will usually re-bloom.
This is one cluster of bulbs divided up. Note that the clusters are kept together and not separated down to every individual small bulb. The larger bulbs will bloom but the small offsets will need time to grow bigger to bloom. You can choose to plant some of the smaller ones in the pot to provide some green, plant them out into a flower bed to grow larger and harvest later or make some new garden friends and give some away.
Step 4
Prepare a 5-gallon flower pot. Since we are reusing our clay pot, it will be washed and scrubbed to remove any soil or possible pathogens that could harm our bulbs. Good garden sanitation is always a must to keep your plants healthy.
Clean flowerpot with broken flowerpot shards set in the bottom. Arrange the shards to cover, but not block the drainage hole.
Step 5
Trim off the dead and dried ends of the roots. I have chosen four clumps of bulbs. My flower pot is rather large so I chose the amount of roots to comfortably fill the pot and leave enough room for the roots.
Step 6
Fill the flowerpot approximately halfway with your potting soil. We use a potting mix that we make from our compost and add in composted chicken manure for fertility. For those of you without access to compost or chicken manure, any well-draining potting soil will do. There are soil mixes with fertilizer added, just make note on the calendar when the fertilizer will run out and when that date arrives, supplement with a fertilizer until the plant is done for the season.
The bulbs have been positioned and while the soil is added, stand the bulbs up with the growth point up, and roots down. Thankfully this is one bulb that the gardener can tell which end is up. But someday, if you find yourself in the situation where you can’t tell which side goes up or down, plant the bulb on its side and nature will do the rest.
Step 7
Fill the pot with soil to within a few inches of the rim. Always leave room for water to pool on top of the soil. This allows the water time to sink in and moisten all of the soil in the flowerpot. Note that the tips of the bulbs are not buried.
Don’t forget your plant label. A good tip is to pot up your plants in the wheelbarrow and roll the whole thing to its final destination.
Step 8
Finally, as soon as the bulbs are potted up, place the pot where it will receive full sun and can be enjoyed. Once moved, water until the soil is soaked. Tuberoses like moisture but be careful to not waterlog the plant. The best way to tell if a plant needs water is to plunge a finger into the soil a few inches and see if it is dry. Many times, the top is dry but down below, there is plenty of moisture. Be prepared to stake your plants as they will send up a flower spike that can be three feet tall.
End of the season and overwintering:
At the end of summer, when the tuberoses are looking tired and before the first frost, carry the pot and all to a garage or basement and just forget about them. The greens will dry down and they can be clipped off. In the spring when all chance of frost is gone, bring the pots out and repot the bulbs as described above.
If you have planted your tuberoses in the ground, dig up the tuberoses in the fall before a frost, shake off some of the soil and allow them to dry and store in a garage or basement where it does not freeze. When the tops are dry, clip off the dead leaves.
Gardener
Watch the historic gardeners use 18th-century tools and techniques to grow herbs, vegetables, and decorative flora.
Sources
Swem, E.G. Brothers of the Spade: Correspondence of Peter Collinson of London, and of John Custis of Williamsburg, Virginia 1734-1746. Barre: Barre Gazette, 1957.
