Planning and Preparing a Spring Bulb Garden

Planting Flower Bulbs in the Fall Improves the Spring Landscape

Aug 8, 2009

Careful selection and preparation will enhance a yard or garden with spring flowering bulbs like tulips, crocus, iris and daffodils.

Spring flowers seem to grow anywhere, but preparing the soil will yield more blossoms. Before any bulbs are selected and planted, choose the bulbs and the place for the garden bed. They can be naturalized (planted randomly) or placed deliberately to accent other plants, structures or landscape elements. Consider how much light the flowering bulb will need and make sure it will get at least partial sun. Consider the problem of foliage, as it needs to be left in place until it dies back. If necessary, plan the beds so that later in the season annuals and perennials can disguise or compliment the bulb foliage.

Preparation and Selection

Bulbs need well-drained soil where standing water or sogginess won’t rot them before they can grow. Amend the soil with compost or peat moss. Commercial bulbs are already grown under optimum conditions and may not need fertilizer when first planted. But, if the bulbs are to remain undisturbed in the flower bed for a few years make sure the soil is properly enriched. Bone meal is good for bulbs in the fall as it contains prosperous, which helps them grow healthy roots. They need to grow their roots before the ground freezes in order to bloom properly in the spring.

When purchasing the bulbs consider the plant’s eventual size and needs. Consider flowering time and how long the leaves are likely to be around. Bulbs that flower late do not do well in grassy areas because the leaves cannot be cut back until they are brown. Crocuses are small and bloom early so they can be naturalized in the lawn and will die back before the grass needs cutting. Daffodils and tulips are larger and bloom later. They are best in beds where they can have lots of room.

When purchasing bulbs, look for ones that are large for their variety and solid. Take the time to give them a gentle squeeze through the package. Do not pick bulbs that are mushy or feel light.

Planting the Bulbs

Plant spring blooming bulbs like daffodils, iris, crocus, tulips and alliums in the fall, or when the soil temperature is below 60 degrees. Bulbs can be planted in most areas of the United States from late September to December. If the climate does not get cold enough for bulbs, create an artificial cold period. Refrigerate the bulbs in an open container for 6-8 weeks. Keep them away from fruits such as pears, apples, and even tomatoes. The gasses these fruits emit when ripening can harm the bulb. Pick a cool day after Thanksgiving to plant the artificially chilled bulbs.

To plant the bulbs, begin by loosing the soil down below the level where you will plant the bulbs. Add any amendments such as bone meal, peat moss, or compost. Following the grower’s guidelines, plant the bulbs 6-8 inches deep. Smaller ones like crocus need a shallower depth of about 3-5 inches deep. Bigger bulbs like iris and tulips need more room, so plant them about 6-8 inches deep. Most garden guides recommend planting the bulb two or three times its height. For example, if a daffodil bulb is two inches tall, plant it four to six inches deep. Plant the bulbs with the pointed side up and the flat, root side down. If top and bottom are not discernable plant them on their sides because bulbs will turn themselves the correct way up. Don’t crowd them but don’t make them too sparse either.

The easiest way to plant bulbs is to dig a ditch in the garden bed, place the bulbs in the bottom and then cover them again. Use a bulb planter to plant individual bulbs. Water the newly planted bulbs well and put at least 3 inches of mulch over the bed. Bulbs need about one inch of water each week but make sure they are not over-watered or they may rot. Squirrels will sometimes dig up bulbs so prevent them from digging by placing chicken wire over the beds.

Early in the spring, move the mulch aside if it gets in the way of the emerging shoots. The time the flowers emerge depends on the variety, but snowdrops emerge early while tulips, alliums and iris come out later. Then, just enjoy the bulbs and allow the foliage to die back naturally so they will yield healthy blooms for years to come.

Resources

Horton, Alvin and James McNair. All About Bulbs. San Francisco: Ortho Books, 1986.

The copyright of the article Planning and Preparing a Spring Bulb Garden in Flower Gardens is owned by Catherine Mezensky. Permission to republish Planning and Preparing a Spring Bulb Garden in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.