Flower BulbsA general 'How To' on the Planting and Care of Flower Bulbs
Here, in the UK the rule for planting flower bulbs 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 are... gladioli, lilies, begonias, dahlias, cyclamen, autumn crocus, etc.
Before we go any further, and touch briefly on general cultural instructions... please let me mention a special case... BLUEBELL BULBS... the beautiful wild bluebells which are such a much loved feature of the deciduous woods in the UK... though if you have visited the pages on 'wild flowers', 'wild flower seeds' and 'wild flower gardens' on this website... you will know that they can be found in other situations, and are a sight not-to-be-missed! 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 and 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!
The reality of the situation is that in most cases you will find full cultural instructions enclosed with your flower bulbs, 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. You could even add some grit below that 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...
Defenders for Effective Integrated Biological Pest Control
Buying the best flower 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 flower bulbs 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 flower bulbs arrive won't put off their planting 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. *At the bottom of this page I am going to add an extremely useful article about bulb growing in America which bloomingbulb have supplied.
One of the best things about flower bulbs 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 flowers, you can have Daffodils and Tulips as spring flowers, followed by Lily and Gladioli as summer 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.
*ABCs Of Bulb Gardening Flowering plants that overwinter and multiply by means on fleshy stems of leaves are called bulbs. The bulbs we grow in our gardens today are native to temperate zones all over the world, the woodlands, meadows and mountains of the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North America. The Dutch have been extremely successful over the centuries in collection and hybridizing new species of bulbs and improving them for reliable garden performance. Tulips in particular, once played an important role in the Dutch economy. There is no easier plant to cultivate than a bulb. Planted at the right time, in a loose, well-draining soil, bulbs will bloom punctually year after year and even spread ( naturalize ) if conditions are to their liking. By planting a sequence of spring-, summer- and fall-flowering bulbs at the appropriate time, you can enjoy their blooms practically year round. Fall (late September through late November) Plant hardy, spring-flowering bulbs: tulips, narcissus (includes all types of daffodils), crocus, eranthis (winter aconites), erythronium, fritillaria, hyacinths snowdrops, scilla, hardy cyclamen, lilies. In California and milder areas of the Southwest, also plant ranunculus, freesias, anemones and paperwhites outdoors. Store tulips, crocus and hyacinths in refrigerator for 6-8 weeks before planting. In all regions, store potted bulbs in refrigerator for forcing indoors. Winter In California, plant prechilled- hardy bulbs outdoors. In all regions, remove sprouted bulbs from refrigerator for indoor forcing. Spring Plant more tender, summer-flowering bulbs: achimenes, gladioli, alliums, calla lilies, tuberous begonias, ixia, crocosmia, dahlias, cannas. Late Summer Plant the late bloomers: fall crocus, fall- and winter-blooming hardy cyclamen. Click here to browse bloomingbulb.com for #1 quality plants and bulbs.
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