Advice
November's glossary
Bulb: A modified bud, usually subterranean, consisting of a short thickened stem, and serving as a storage organ. There are two principal kinds: (1) naked, composed of free, overlapping scaly modified leaves, all of them fleshy, for example, Lilium; (2) tunicated, with thin, membranous, fibrous or reticulated outer, and fleshy concentric inner, layers: e.g. Allium. cf. ‘corm’, the ‘solid bulb’.
Forcing: The acceleration of vegetative, flowering or fruiting growth, usually by temperature and light manipulation. Rhubarb and chicory are forced for vegetative growth. Hyacinths are commonly forced for flowers during winter. Lily-of-the-valley (Convollaria) can also be forced into flower. Commercial forcing is carried out in specially designed greenhouses or sheds, often with additional bottom heat; in the domestic garden it is usually improvised in greenhouses and frames, or achieved with the use of forcing pots or dark plunging areas.
Heeling in: The temporary insertion of plants in the soil, usually prior to permanent planting, in order to prevent deterioration due to drying out.
Rhizome: A specialised stem, which can be slender or swollen, branching or simple, subterranean or lying close to the soil surface (except in epiphytes), and producing roots, stems, leaves and inflorescences along its length and at its apex. Rhizomes are common to many perennial plants. They can usually be propagated via division.