Hello! From our perspective, the showy white blooms you so admire are just one part of our annual cycle, and a very energy-intensive one at that. Once our petals fade and fall, our primary mission shifts from reproduction back to survival and preparation. Our broad, green leaves are now our most critical asset. They are our solar panels, diligently absorbing sunlight and converting it into energy through photosynthesis. This energy is not wasted; it is transported down to our bulb, our hidden lifeline buried safely in the soil. Please, do not be tempted to remove or tie up our leaves. This would be like unplugging us from the sun right when we need to charge our batteries the most. We need every possible moment of light to create and store enough starches and sugars.
All that precious energy we are creating is being sent directly underground to our bulb. Think of the bulb as our pantry and our blueprint for next year, all in one. We are actively swelling and strengthening it, forming the embryo of next year's flower and leaves inside. This process is everything to us. The care you give us now directly impacts the size and health of that new bloom. If our leaves are cut away prematurely, this process is aborted. We will survive, as our bulb is a hardy storehouse, but we will be significantly weaker next spring, potentially producing smaller flowers or even none at all as we lack the resources to form them.
We know our fading foliage may not look as tidy as you might like in your garden bed, but we ask for your patience. Our leaves will naturally begin to yellow and wither once our energy-gathering work is complete. This is our signal that the bulb is fully replenished and we are ready for our summer dormancy. Only when the leaves have turned mostly yellow and come away from the bulb with a very gentle tug should they be removed. This natural senescence allows us to reabsorb any final nutrients from the leaves themselves, leaving nothing to waste.
While we are busy with our photosynthesis, we still appreciate consistent moisture in the soil. The soil should not be waterlogged, but it should remain lightly moist. This helps us transport nutrients efficiently. However, once our foliage has completely died back, our needs change dramatically. We are entering our dormant phase. During this time, we prefer the soil to be on the drier side. Summer moisture around a dormant bulb can lead to rot, which is a death sentence for us. If you are irrigating other plants in the area, that is usually fine, but we do not seek out extra water during our long summer sleep beneath the earth.
