Want the perfect plant that doesn’t clash with other flowers in the landscape? Bulbs are your answer. Their trouble-free nature and early welcome of spring explains their popularity. No need to be an expert gardener, either: The few rules of selecting and planting are a snap. Purchase, dig, drop, water, and wait — that’s bulb planting in a nutshell.
Bulbs are underground storage units for seasonal growth. All the nutrients the flowers require are stored neat and tidy in these small plant organs. The group of plants most gardeners collectively call “bulbs” also includes other categories — corms, tubers, rhizomes, and tuberous roots. They are further classified by their hardiness and time of bloom.
Selection
You get what you pay for. Bargain bulbs won’t give you the best display of bloom and years of enjoyment.
Look for firm, plump, healthy bulbs in the garden center. They should feel solid when you handle them, with no soft spots or sour odors. It’s OK if they have lost their papery cover.
Read the package. If they are labeled “top size,” then they are the largest commercially available size, producing more or bigger flowers, with “wow” factor. If you’re naturalizing (planting in drifts so bulbs multiply), then it’s economical to purchase smaller bulbs — they catch up in size in a season or two anyway. Some bulbs are just plain smaller to begin with, like Greek anemone (windflower), winter aconite (buttercup) and galanthus (snowdrops).
If purchasing by mail order, inspect upon arrival and plant soon. If you can’t plant right away, put them in a dry spot (indoors, 40-50 degrees) with good air circulation and keep the bag open (mesh is best).
Location
Plant where you can see them. Select a sunny location (but it doesn’t have to be sunny all year). Under or near deciduous trees works fine. Avoid planting the earliest bloomers near walkways that get shoveled.
Sequence blooming from late winter through fall. Start out with snowdrops, aconites, scilla, crocus, dwarf iris and chionodoxa. Follow with daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and camissia. Tulips and daffodils have the broadest range of bloom times; look for early, mid or late varieties. Eremurus or foxtail lilies are head-turners, rising to 3 to 7 feet, blooming late spring to early summer. Include some of the showy flowering alliums that bloom mid to late summer along with dahlias, cannas, caladiums and gladiolas. More http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1013.html
Fall bloomers are often forgotten but should be on more lists to plant in late summer — autumn crocus and colchicums. Winter flowering refers to bulbs forced to bloom out of season; they are planted for winter enjoyment — paper whites and amaryllis are the most common and easy to plant. With more planning and preparation tulips, crocus daffodils and hyacinths can be forced for your indoor centerpiece early next year if potted this fall.
Some tulips only last a year or two, so they should be treated like annuals. Other types will perennialize and come back if they are happy in their location and not disturbed. Read the package or paperwork near the bin and look for these repeaters — species tulips, Kaufmannia or Greigii tulips, giant Darwin hybrid tulips and Fosteriana, also called Emperor tulips.
Why all the names for daffodils? The whole genus is Narcissus. Daffodil is the common name; they are larger-flowered. Jonquil is a species name within the genus, usually smaller and fragrant.
Books, magazines and online sources can elaborate on bulb design principles. They all say that more is better. Plant in masses or drifts through the perennial and shrub beds and rock gardens. You can play with varying heights adding depth and interest or plant a solid color and variety or repeat the bulbs and colors throughout the landscape. The only rule is to plant what you like and what reflects your style and expression.
Planting
September and October planting gives bulbs plenty of time to establish before the ground freezes. Some gardeners push it to November with good results, but that all depends on our weather and soil conditions (don’t plant in frozen or wet soil).
Soil preparation is important for bulbs. They want loose, amended, well-draining soil. Use a phosphorus or balanced fertilizer (5-10-5) in the planting hole. Bone meal isn’t recommended unless you have soil pH that is under 7 — pH is determined by a soil test.
You don’t need special tools. The basics work — trowel, garden fork or shovel. Bulb planters that cut round holes work best in loose soil, while bulb augur attachments for drills are effective for smaller bulbs. A dibble helps poke holes for little bulbs like crocuses.
Depth is three to four times the height of the bulb, pointy side up. If in doubt on what side is up, lay on its side. Plant 2 inches deeper for sandy soils.
For large areas, plant lots of bulbs to make an impact. For ease of planting remove enough soil to accommodate all the bulbs. Add fertilizer and amendment in the entire area. Scatter the bulbs or place in groups, not in a perfect row.
Label your bulb plantings or make a drawing so you don’t disturb the bulbs come spring.
Water after planting and water through the fall and winter (every 3-4 weeks) if it’s dry.
Mulch the bulbs with a 3-inch layer of organic matter after a hard frost to maintain moisture and prevent the soil from freeze/thaw cycles which can uproot the bulbs.
Squirrels and mice like bulbs, especially tulips, crocus, lilies and chionodoxa, but not daffodils, hyacinths, alliums, puschkinias and fritillarias. Keep them away by enclosing bulbs with ½-inch hardware cloth boxes or dip the bulbs in a liquid repellent product like Ropel before planting. Remove the scent of bulbs by cleaning up all shed papery skins.
Edible Bulbs
Fall planted garlic generally yields larger bulbs due to the longer growing season. Try both hard-neck and soft-neck types for variety in taste. Once you grow your own garlic, you’ll have planting stock for years to follow since you can your plant recently harvested bulbs. Check local garden centers or mail order for planting stock. Avoid planting garlic from grocery stores; many are treated with growth inhibitors to prolong storage.
Each individual garlic clove on the bulb is planted (2-3 inches deep, 6 inches apart). The clove will grow into one full bulb when harvested next spring in late June or early July. Keep this easy math in mind when you order on line or purchase bulbs from a local garden center. You may only need one or two bulbs to plant.
Planting cloves in part shade is OK in the fall, just as long as the area starts getting more sun after the winter solstice. You can tuck them anywhere in the landscape if you have good soil, sun and no competition from other plant roots. Just remember where they are planted so you can water them through the winter.
Shallots have a mild onion flavor and are as easy to plant and grow as garlic, but fall plantings won’t grow well in colder zones. Plant in Zone 5 or warmer, 1-2 inches deep, 6 inches apart.
After planting, mulch both garlic and shallots with a 3-inch layer of shredded leaves (renew through the winter) and water if moisture or snow cover is scarce.
Denver gardener Betty Cahill writes at http://gardenpunchlist .blogspot.com/
