On November 23rd, Fibonacci Day, the 11th horticulture exhibition was announced! The horticulture staff spent hours arranging and planting over 8,000 bulbs to bloom this spring, but before the fun of planting could begin there was work going on behind the scenes to prepare for the exhibition. 

Planning began in July when the theme of the Geometry of Flowers was conceptualized. Horticulture staff began exploring math- an exciting and sometimes stressful part of horticulture. Looking at all sorts of patterns found in nature was the inspiration behind the plant choices and design. Hours were spent making drawings and crunching numbers to ensure we would have a math-tastic display! Orders are put into bulb growers, and space is made for the anticipated arrival of thousands of bulbs. 

It is always so exciting when the bulbs arrive at the park! First, bulbs need to be checked for any damage or possible disease. This involves making sure the bulbs aren’t squishy or rotten as we sort them into their planting bed locations. After everything is sorted it’s time to prepare for planting! 

We use spray paint, measuring tapes, string, and bamboo stakes to ensure our designs will be striking. Once the layout is completed we carefully place bulbs in their proper places. Since we utilize different species of bulbs we need to make sure each is planted according to each bulb’s requirements. The depth at which you plant a bulb is important and usually determined by the size of the bulb. A good rule of thumb is to take the height of the bulb and multiply it by 3, that is how many inches deep the bulb should be planted. This ensures that the flower will be stable enough to stand tall. We also planted fritillaria, which needs to be planted on its side to avoid moisture building up and rotting the bulb. 

Once planted, they are protected from critters digging them up using chicken wire. A layer of mulch is put down on top and the waiting begins! The Geometry of Flowers horticulture exhibition opens on March 14th. Come visit and take in the math-tastic display.