Bulb FlowersGeneral 'How To' on the buying, planting, and caring for Bulb Flowers
Here, in the UK the rule for planting bulb flowers is... plant Spring-flowering bulbs in Autumn [Fall], and Summer/Autumn-flowering bulbs in Spring. Some of the bulbs [plus corms and tubers] which flower in Spring are... daffodils, narcissi, snowdrops, hyacinths, crocuses, tulips, etc.
Some of the bulbs [plus corms and tubers] which flower in Summer or Autumn/Fall are... gladioli, lilies, begonias, dahlias, cyclamen, autumn crocus, etc.
Asian Daphodile Floral Moulton, Jo Buy posters at AllPosters.com
Please can I put in a plea here for you not to grow the Spanish Bluebells, as they can interbreed with our native ones and we could get overrun by them [they are nowhere near as beautiful anyway!] If you want to obtain native bluebells from a reliable source just follow the link to Thompson & Morgan At the correct seasons, they have assured me, they have both bulbs and seeds of native bluebells available. I know from dealing with them myself that they are a most reliable firm... and are extremely Old Fashioned in that they over-deliver on ones expectations, and also they often add freebies to an order!
Asian Daphodile Floral Moulton, Jo Buy posters at AllPosters.com The following cultural instructions should be completely superfluous! But I'm putting them in anyway! The reality of the situation is that in most cases you will find full cultural instructions enclosed with your bulb flowers, corms or tubers... in the form of a leaflet or booklet. If so, just follow the instructions... and ignore these. Cultural hints are next, followed by help on slugs and snails, and then the actual bulbs.
Cultural Hints Both the planting depth and distance apart will be different according to each type of bulb. Generally the larger the bulb the greater the depth it should be planted. Tulips like to be planted quite deeply in proportion to their size. Planting baskets can be very useful if you wish to move the bulbs from their flowering situation [to die down] after they have flowered. Do NOT tie up or plait the leaves after they have flowered. The leaves need to get as much light/sun as possible in order to feed the bulbs; and anything which restricts this process will make the possibility of good plants and flowers in subsequent seasons less likely. It is a good idea to give the plants a good feed with a general purpose fertilizer after they have flowered. Bulbs, in general, do not like too heavy a soil. Therefore, if you have a heavy clay soil, add good quality compost to the soil. Most importantly, add a good couple of handfuls of horticultural sand in at the bottom of the hole... to plant the bulbs on. Note:- You could also add some grit below the sand for extra drainage, and, it is a good idea to add some grit over the top of the planting hole... it could help deter slugs and snails. Slugs and snails are a major problem to some bulbs [they love lilies] and, of course, you have to be very careful when dealing with them if you are at all concerned about wildlife and/or children and pets! I find the best way to deal with at least some of them is to use Slugsure, which is a biological control and, therefore, environmentally friendly. [It has a minimum soil temperature requirement of 5 degrees C, 42 degrees Fahrenheit.] Find details at...
Asian Daphodile Floral Moulton, Jo Buy posters at AllPosters.com Buying the best bulb flowers corms, tubers, and bulbs always pays. And ordering EARLY is essential if you want to obtain any new varieties which may be in scarce supply. You can usually state when you require your bulb flowers to be delivered when you place your order. This way you can get your site prepared well in advance, and thus any weather problems when the actual bulb flowers arrive won't put off their planting for too long. For the UK, plus certain other countries, we are returning to Thompson and Morgan. When you arrive at their home page, if you are from the UK, click on the Online Plant Catalogues. On the new page, look on the left where you will see a plants menu and choose 'by plant types', click that, then click 'bulbs'. For all other countries, from the home page click the top seeds catalogues link, choose your country. Some countries will have links to certain bulbs as well as the seeds. You will find that Thompson and Morgan are a #1 supplier to deal with... and SO helpful!
Now I am going to recommend a fantastic supplier for the USA too...bloomingbulb.com offers the home gardener flower bulbs at wholesale prices, that are guaranteed to grow!
If you are a resident of the USA you can do no better than check out this #1 supplier. And if you click over to our Flower Bulbs page you will find an informative article all about growing bulbs courtesy of Blooming Bulb. The title of the article is 'ABCs of Bulb Gardening'... just scroll to the bottom of the page and you will find it there. One of the best things about bulb flowers is that you can plant bulbs and leave them to naturalize. If they are happy in the site you choose for them they will spread and reward you with a glorious display year after year. If you count Snowdrops and Aconites as winter bulb flowers, you can have Daffodils and Tulips as spring bulb flowers, followed by Lily and Gladioli as summer bulb flowers, then follow these with autumn flowering Crocus and Cyclamen... the whole year has been covered [more or less] with these delightful, yet easy to grow, plants.
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