Outdoor bulb plants: What they are, advantages and 5 examples

Among the outdoor bulb plants are garlic and onion

When we want to grow vegetables, it is always important to keep in mind what types exist, what their needs are and whether it is preferable to have them indoors or outdoors. The bulbous ones are the favorites to cultivate, because they are usually very resistant and beautiful. Don’t you know what they are? Here we explain it to you and we will give you some examples of outdoor bulb plants.

If you want to add more vegetables to your garden or garden, I recommend that you keep reading. Apart from explaining what bulbous plants are and what their advantages are, we will also talk about five plans of very popular outdoor bulbs.

What are bulb plants?

Bulbous plants differ in having an organ called a bulb.

Before giving some examples of outdoor bulb plants, we will first discuss what exactly they are. Well, bulbous plants are vegetables like any other. Nevertheless, they differ by developing the so-called bulb. Normally, plants develop their roots below the stem, but in the case of bulb plants they make them sprout from that characteristic organ of theirs.

But what exactly is the bulb? It is an organ belonging to bulbous plants that usually has a shape very similar to an onion. In fact, the onion itself is really the bulb of that plant. The size of the bulb can be smaller or larger, depending on the plant it is. The shades, layers and segments also vary.

Bulbous plants

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What are bulbous plants

It should be noted that there are plants that develop organs very similar to bulbs, such as rhizomes or tubers. While it is true that these plants are also classified as bulbous plants, they are not. What they create are subterranean organs with enough differences that they are not called bulbs.

Advantages of bulb plants

There are many advantages of bulbous plants compared to other vegetables that lack this organ. Let’s see what they are:

  • They can adapt their growth cycle to climatic conditions and to the different seasons of the year: The bulb stores both water and food, so these plants are capable of going into dormancy during the winter. In spring they resprout when the weather is favorable.
  • They easily survive fires: Most of the plant can survive for long periods without its aerial part. This fact has made them very successful at an evolutionary level.
  • most bulbous plants They can be planted on land and in water.

The bulbs can be planted in pots or directly in the ground

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How to plant bulbs

As you can see, bulbous plants they have had an impressive capacity for evolution, encouraging their survival over the years. Now that we know a little more about these curious vegetables, we are going to list the five most popular outdoor bulb plants and we will comment on some curiosities about them.

Garlic

Garlic is one of the most cultivated bulbous plants in the world

One of the most famous outdoor bulb plants is garlic, whose scientific name is Allium sativum. Since it is a widely used vegetable at the culinary level, it is not surprising that it is one of the most cultivated bulbous plants in the world. According to ancient documentation, garlic has been used in cooking for more than seven thousand years.

A curious fact about this vegetable is that it no longer exists in the wild. It has evolved together with the human being to such an extent that it is not capable of developing well if it is not cultivated and cared for by man. However, there are various types of garlic, some of which can be found in the wild. Of course, they are not used as much at a culinary level.

Onion

how to plant onions

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Plant onions

Like garlic, onion is also cultivated for culinary purposes, but also for medicinal purposes. Apart from providing numerous nutrients, it also gives a lot of flavor to food. The scientific name of this plant is garlic onion. While it is true that there are many different varieties of onions, each of them has a bulb that is the main part of this vegetable.

Tulips

Tulips are very popular ornamental bulb plants.

There are not only edible outdoor bulb plants, but also decorative ones. A great example are tulips, also called Tulipa sp.. For its impressive beauty, no wonder they are one of the most widely cultivated ornamental bulbous plants in the world. They get their name from the characteristic shape of their flower, whose petals form an almost perfect cylinder.

Today There are more than 150 species belonging to the tulip family. This is due in part to the progress that humans have made in the field of genetics. Since the XNUMXth century, these types of processes have been practiced in these plants. If you are thinking of cultivating and reproducing these beautiful flowers, I recommend that you take a look at this article on how to preserve tulip bulbs.

fire lily

Another of the very beautiful outdoor bulb plants to decorate our garden is the fire lily. Its scientific name is Cyrtanthus contracted and it is a kind of lily whose most striking feature is its reddish color. The name comes to mind Well, this flower also stands out for being able to survive fire. In fact, the bulb of this vegetable regenerates very easily when the soil surface is destroyed by flames.

Lilium martagon is a type of lilac-flowered lily

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How many kinds of lilies are there?

Not only is the fire lily an excellent bulbous plant to grow outdoors, but the fire lily family lilies in general they are a good option for it. All the existing variants of Cyrtanthus They develop from a bulb.

Dog tooth

The bulb of the dog's tooth is edible

Also the bulbous called dog’s tooth, or Erythronium For scientists, it is a good choice for growing outdoors. There are about thirty species, most of which come from North America. Although it is known more for its ornamental characteristics, the bulb of this vegetable is also edible.

Generally, growing bulb plants for outdoors is not a very complicated task, as long as we take care of them correctly. I hope that you have liked some of these vegetables enough to enjoy it in your garden.

Outdoor bulb plants: What they are, advantages and 5 examples

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