Karen Wight -- NO PLACE LIKE HOME

I have a love-hate relationship with bulbs.

And I think they feel the same about me. Bulbs either thrive and make me

deliriously happy or snub my nurturing attempts altogether and fail to

grow, much less bloom. Some bulbs are stars: they shine brightly and

provide inspiration.

I count all varieties of Narcissus in my group of friendly bulbs -- from

the fresh-smelling paperwhites that sparkle during the holidays, to the

King Alfred daffodils that create a spring feeling with their cheerful

yellow trumpets that seem to call all young, downy chicks to Easter.

I love Narcissus. Narcissus come with a great benefit package as well.

They naturalize, which means you never have to dig them up, store them or

replant them to enjoy their beauty year after year. These bulbs are great

investments; their performance is dependable and appreciates annually.

The gladiolus is another great performer. These flowers have it all. They

come in an enormous variety, from strains that grow 5 feet tall or more

to miniature varieties that look like Lilliputians among the garden

giants. The color selection for gladioli is enormous. They come in almost

every color imaginable and the variety of two-color and multicolor

combinations is breathtaking.

Last spring, I treated myself to a cutting area devoted exclusively to

glads. I experimented with the miniatures (great for a big impact in

smaller containers), included colors that I ordinarily wouldn’t use

(orange, chartreuse, fuchsia) and planted them randomly, just throwing

them in the planter and burying them where they fell.

Within weeks, the planter was ablaze with color and variety. It was

almost too perfect to ruin by cutting, but the temptation was too great

and we enjoyed dramatic displays inside for several weeks.

Freesia bulbs also satisfy my list of requirements. These fragrant

flowers don’t make a showy display outside, but that’s not where they

make the biggest impact. Cut these slender stalks with teardrop-shaped

flowers and enjoy their perfume for weeks at a time.

My daughters love the smell of freesias. It’s always the first fragrance

they grab at the soap and lotion stores. Fresh freesias (the purple and

yellow are our favorite scents) are unbeatable.

Ranunculus bulbs get mixed reviews at my house. One spring, we had the

most outstanding crop you could imagine. The stems were long and somewhat

irregular, the flower heads were large and full. They generated wave

after wave of flowers and the bouquets for the house were interesting and

long-lasting. But I never had a great crop again. I lost the touch. I

tried new bulbs and more fertilizer, but the magic was never repeated.

I’m only left with the fond memory of a spectacular year in our first

home, in our first garden, with my first attempt at bulbs.

Beginner’s luck I suppose.

Now for my most bitter experience: tulips. Aren’t they a sight to behold?

A dozen in a vase with buds just beginning to open? Spring. Holland.

Windmills. Cheese.

I’ve never been able to do better than a 3-inch stem and some horrible,

twisted-looking flowers.

Grade-A bulbs and bulb booster still produce flowers that look like

Quasimodo. I just can’t make it happen.

I did get a catalog the other day that may change my mind about tulips,

however. It was o7 garden.comf7 and it offered something called

“bulblings.” Bulblings are bulbs that have been grown to the point of

bloom -- within two weeks of a floral splash. The idea is great; maybe I

can make bulblings work in my garden. Maybe o7 garden.comf7 will give

those wannabe tulips enough encouragement to thrive in my Southern

California, laid-back, “gotta be easy or I’ll bail” garden.

Another dud in the Wight garden were crocus bulbs. My basic feeling about

crocus is, so what. They came, they saw the light of day, they went away.

I’d rather spend my money and energy on something more satisfying.

The jury is still out on dahlias. I tried them for the first time last

year and had fabulous results. Big, round fluffy flowers in bright, happy

colors.

After my ranunculus experience, however, I am shy. I need to give these a

second year to see if they make it into my Bulb Hall of Fame. I have

tough standards and high expectations.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Saturdays.