Creepers, Climbers and Bulbs

Creepers and Climbers

Creepers : These plants can be grown along the top of the compound wall or as a cover for walls, or at the entrance as an arch. There are varieties of creepers available like, Bignonia venusta, allamanda, passiflora (fashion flower), Jacquemontia. Even Bougainvilleas can be a good creeper.

Climbers : These are the plants with soft stems that grow only with a support. They rely on something else for support; another plant, a wall or trellis. Different types of climbers have devised many crafty ways to hold on to whatever they grasp. Examples are Clerodendrum thomsoniae (Bleeding Heart), Cissus rhombifolia (Grape Ivy), Jasminum multipartitum (Starry Wild Jasmine), Clematis montana (Clematis) etc.

Creepers and climbers can be planted in a mixture of garden earth and manure 2:1, filled to 1 inch depth.

Bulbs

A bulb is a specific stem structure which is planted beneath the soil and stays underground. Roots grow down from it, and stem and leaves grow up from it. Most bulb plants have a dormant (resting) period during which there is no growth visible. Bulb plants grow, flower, then the leaves remain for sometime and disappear completely until next year. They are easy to grow and guaranteed to bloom. Examples are Daffodils, Tulips, Bluebells etc. Bulb plants can be Real bulbs: Formulated in layers, with an outer scale (onion, tulip, lily). Corms: Appears like a bulb on the exterior, different structure inside (crocus, gladiolus). Tubers and Tuberous Roots: Bulb stems or roots with food stores which looks like a potato (Potato, Dahlia, Tuberous begonia).

There are Summer-Flowering Bulbs (Tuberous begonia, calla, Canna lily, Dahlia, gladiolus and lily) which are dormant in winter and Spring-Flowering Bulbs (Crocus, snowdrop, hyacinth, Daffodil, Tulip, Iris, allium etc) which when planted in fall remain dormant in the summer.