Today I will explore the wonderful world of corms.
Along with bulbs, tubers, and rhizomes, corms constitute the quartet of underground storage structures that send up their silky blooms once a year — or more, in the case of remontant (repeat-blooming) irises and daylilies. None of these plants needs any attention other than to divide them when their clumps become overly dense. All of them are outstanding candidates for vase arrangements.
Not all species of the quartet — lumped together often enough as bulbs or “bulbs and their associates” — come up reliably year after year in our climate, since we lack the winter cold that ensures perennial growth for some species. What are commonly promoted as Dutch bulbs, for instance, especially those classic tulips and hyacinths, will only bloom this coming spring and then disappear forever. Many corms, however, are notable for their reliability in our part of the world when it comes to living up to their designation as herbaceous or soft-stemmed perennials.
Debbie Pavich, who gardens in Fountain Valley, emailed as follows: “I love my freesia, but I don’t believe they are bulbs but something similar (Joshua: Correct, they come from corms) that spread underground. I love them because they are beautiful and come up faithfully first thing every spring without me having to do anything but water them. I started with one yellow freesia near the top of a small flower garden in our front yard and they have spread throughout the garden over the years. Somewhere along the way, they picked up pollen from a purple plant and soon I had purple freesias along with my yellow. This year I had several plants with a combination of purple and yellow flowers! I just have to be sure the leaves turn brown before removing them after the flowers have died off, so the plants can keep making energy to make more bulbs. I have transplanted freesias all over my backyard now as they were getting crowded in my small front garden. The bulbs (or whatever they are) pull up easily and seem to grow wherever I put them.”
Matthew Hunt, a San Clemente gardener, filed a report which echoes that of Ms. Pavich: “I don’t know if a corm is technically the same thing as a bulb since I’ve never studied horticulture or botany, but my favorite bulb-like plant is freesia. The flowers are the best, even if the leaves are lame and flop over. What I love about the little corm bulbs is that they’re small and get in everything as I move dirt and plants around the yard. Consequently, they end up popping up with their fragrant flowers year after year all over the yard.”
Corms are distinguished from bulbs by their solid, undifferentiated tissue as opposed to the layered scales that characterize bulbs. Freesias are at the top rank when it comes to corms due to their ability to naturalize or spread throughout the garden and their distinctive scent. This sweet fragrance is most apparent in white-flowered cultivars such as Antique Alba, an heirloom variety. The next most fragrant freesia flowers are yellow, followed by the less-fragrant purple, blue, bronze, and red. Native to a subtropical South African climate, they do not require refrigeration prior to planting. Another bonus of growing freesias is their staying power in a vase, which can extend to three weeks.
Speaking of South Africa, harlequin flower (Sparaxis tricolor) is another cormaceous plant from that part of the world. As its species name reveals, its flowers have three colors: a yellow center surrounded by dark red, purple, or block markings, and finally orange, pink, red, or violet petals.
Crocosmia, another South African corm, is so successful at naturalizing in our gardens that it may become weedy in its rambunctiousness, as Roger Johnson, another San Clemente gardener, complained: “I didn’t know Crocosmia were so invasive when I planted them, but after a few years they were spreading all over and choking everything else out. So I dug up several five-gallon buckets of them. So, are they only good in containers? I hesitate to give them to anyone but I am reluctant to just throw them away. What is your advice on what to do with them?” Your decision to grow them in containers makes sense as bulbs always make a lasting impression in dense container plantings and their garden takeover tendencies can be nullified. I have had a similar experience with Chasmanthe, a closely related corm. Both of these plants send up fiery orange flowers, the difference being that Crocosmia is a late summer and fall bloomer, while Chasmanthe flowers in late winter and spring. Watsonia, another cormaceous South African, possesses flowers similar to its classically orange-flowered cousins, but is notable for flowering in salmon or pink as well.
Three corms originating in the Mediterranean are noteworthy. Poppy anemone (Anemone coronaria) blooms in white, blue, purple, pink, and red. In Israel, wilderness areas are covered with red poppy anemones each spring. Ranunculus, with its unforgettable turban-shaped flowers in white, yellow, orange, red, and pink, shares the poppy anemone’s habitat. Finally, saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) is worthy of special mention, as it’s the one crocus that grows reliably in Los Angeles since it does not require winter chilling. It is also the most valuable spice in the world, valued at $100 per ounce. It is used as a dye, to enhance flavor in a variety of foods, for incense fragrance, and as an antidepressant tea.
A story from the Talmud illustrates the value of saffron going back to ancient times:
In the last few moments of his life, Resh Lakish suddenly grew sad. His gloominess seemed to make no sense. Resh Lakish had been the most diligent scholar the nation of Israel had produced, someone whose profound love for Torah was matched only by the force of the opinions which he fiercely championed, often as a minority of one. Resh Lakish would never discuss a Torah topic until he had reviewed it 40 times, a tribute to Moses who stayed on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights while receiving the Ten Commandments and the Torah.
The Torah prowess of Resh Lakish was especially noteworthy considering his checkered past, which included exploits as a gladiator and circus strong man – hardly the background you would expect for a Torah scholar. More than anyone, Resh Lakish would have been entitled to look back on a life of personal transformation and learning with great contentment. Yet at the end, he lacked tranquility.
As a source of livelihood, Resh Lakish raised crocus plants for saffron, harvesting their flowers’ stigmas that constitute the spice. Preparing to depart from this world, Resh Lakish took note of a small quantity of saffron that was left over, unsold. This was what brought him to grief. He cited a passage from Psalm 49 that disparages “those who leave their riches to others,” and then died.
According to the Talmud, leaving money or material goods behind, whether to heirs or anyone else, is a mistake for two reasons. First, there are no guarantees as to how your money will be spent. Second, and more importantly, excess money or other possessions represent time wasted in material pursuits at the expense of Torah learning.
California native of the week: California Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia californica), as you might have guessed, has flowers shaped like a tobacco pipe. Only one inch in length, they emerge in profusion each spring prior to appearance of leaves. This is a deciduous vine that prefers a shady exposure, sips water, and will happily clamber up the branches of a native oak or any other tree. It has been observed in the Sierras climbing with arboreal support to a height of 50 feet. Although it grows in dry shade, it can also accept moist soil conditions. You can order this plant and many other California natives from Las Pilitas Nursery (laspilitas.com). Although located in Santa Margarita near San Luis Obispo, they ship to Los Angeles.
Do you have a story about flowers that come from corms or any other type of bulb plant? If so, please send it to Joshua@perfectplants.com. Your gardening conundrums and successes are always welcome.