Daffodils and tulips, snowdrops and crocuses, are the old favorites when it comes to planting spring bulbs but the world of bulbs offers much more. Adding more exotic bulbs can jazz up a flower border with exciting results.
When to Plant Bulbs
Most bulbs require about 12 weeks in the ground in order to bloom. (Some don’t even need that much, however.) October, even November, are the premium months to plant spring bulbs. The earlier blooming varieties need to go into the ground first which means planting the early-flowering daffodils and crocus and grape hyacinths before planting the tulips. Many bulbs can be planted in the earth anytime up until the ground freezes. (Many a gardener has planted tulip bulbs as late as Christmas and has been rewarded by seeing them appear in April like clockwork.) A bulb has to do what a bulb has to do, just as a child has to do what a child has to do! Once they are grounded, they will start to make roots and take their natural course.
Buying bulbs in bulk allows for planting large quantities, whether in groups or naturalized in the lawn, and will always look better than planting just a handful. The more the merrier. When deciding which bulbs to buy, it’s a bit like choosing an onion in the shop. You wouldn’t buy one with soft, wrinkled skin, or mold or roots, so treat your flower bulbs the same.
How to Plant Spring Bulbs
The Pacific Bulb Society offers succinct advice: 'Buy them. Stick them in the ground. Enjoy the flowers.' But that applies to the old stand-bys like tulips and daffodils which need only a cold period underground in order to bloom properly. They are generally not very fussy. And this goes too for the smaller bulbs like chionodoxa also known as Glory in the Snow. A good rule of thumb is to plan to have all your bulbs planted by the start of December. When planting, the pointy or narrowing end tip of the bulb is up.
Plant to nearly three times the depth of the bulb. If the soil is heavy put some grit and a few pinches of seaweed fertilizer. Also, never plant in lines like a marching band; instead, sow randomly, or at least make it look random and natural, or plant in broad groups like a waving wand. (Read the individual packet directions as some bulbs require more fussy soil needs, like bearded irises, than others.) In general bulbs need well-drained soil.
Specialty Bulbs
Spring bulbs are usually available in garden centers by the end of August. Shopping early means getting the best choices. While there will always be daffodils galore, some specialty bulbs like dracunculus vugaris (Dragon Arum) or dichelostemma ida-maia (California Fire-Cracker) for example, are not as widely available. Ordering on line at the end of summer from specialist nurseries is probably the best way to get a good selection of the more exotic type of bulbs.
Alliums, anemones, camassias, cyclamens, erythroniums, fritillarias, and irises are other bulbs to consider once you've planted enough daffodils and crocuses. Erythroniums sometimes called the Trout Lily are small woodland plant bulbs with trumpet-like flowers that do well in flower borders and rockeries as well as under shrubs where they will thrive in partial shade.
Camassias are very easy to grow and multiply readily in good, well-drained garden soil and will even tolerate heavy soil. Spikes of star-shaped flowers that bloom in June are excellent for a blue-themed garden.
Gardening with Bulbs
Flowering bulbs that bloom in spring and early summer are suitable for every garden and every type of gardener from the beginner to the collector. They're easy to grow, and the rewards are everlasting.
 |
 |
