No spring bulbs in campus flower beds this year

The usual spring bulb displays won’t be blooming in campus flower beds this year. The same fungus that attacked the tulips at the state Capitol has taken its toll on this end of State Street, too, says Bob Scott, supervisor of the Environmental Services greenhouse crew.

Scott says the problem was noticed on a large scale in some of the beds last year. The culprit is a form of penicillium that attacks the bulbs when they are in the ground. The fungus can exist in the soil for a number of years. Scott says it could have come in on the bulbs themselves, in soil amendments to the beds or even on infected tools.

“If we had planted tulips in the same soil last fall, they more than likely would have been infected as well,” he says. “We could have done a soil exchange like the Capitol grounds staff did, but it had limited success.”

The good news is that pansies and similar early annuals will replace the bulb displays for a few years.

“Hopefully, we can return to planting tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs in the future,” says Scott.