Planting Bulbs

Planting and Combining Bulbs

By Cindy Bellinger
September, 2006

It's that time of year again. As gardens fade, we begin thinking about the next growing season. And this often means planting bulbs. They are surely the harbingers of spring.

The writer May Sarton loved gardening, but was particularly fond of bulbs and once wrote: "At the moment of planting a bulb, all is hope, no dismay." There is also something magical about bulbs. After a dreary, bleak winter they seem to pop out of nowhere. It's possible to have a garden teeming with their delight.

Selecting

Plant for continued bloom for the coming spring and summer seasons. Combining different bulbs lets a variety of color and shapes and sizes enter the garden. If all is well, you may not even notice the transitions between one set and the next. (See individual bulb descriptions for time of bloom.)

Early bloomers

Mid-spring bloomers

Daffodils, regular and miniature
Muscari, more commonly known as Grape Hyacinth
Tulipa fosteriana ‘Princeps’

Late spring bloomers

Daffodils
Darwin hybrid Tulips
German Bearded Iris (Iris pallida ‘Variegate’)

Summer bloomers

Brodiaea ‘Queen Fabiola’
Allium sphaerocephalon (Drumstick Onion)

Designing

Group bulbs according to height.
Group bulbs using complimentary or contrasting shades.
Bulbs look best in clumps of 5 to 7 or in larger drifts of a single variety.
Plant among perennials; when the bulbs finish, the perennials are leafing out.
Plant fragrant varieties near walks, doors and entryways to enjoy the scent.

When to Plant

Get bulbs in by the end of October to get their roots established before winter.

Planting

A good rule of thumb is to plant three times deeper than the widest part of the bulb.
Dig a hole, either with a trowel or with a bulb planter. A dibble works well for planting small bulbs. Add a palm-full of Yum Yum Mix® Winterizer to each hole.
Place bulbs root down; cover with soil and water in thoroughly.
Mulch with 2″ of Soil Mender Mulch or other high quality organic compost
Water occasionally during winter months if there is no snow.

Labeling

Either stick tags in the ground, use metal plant markers, or draw a simple map of where and what bulbs you planted; when done blooming, it's hard to know (or remember) where they are.

Sarton also wrote: “There is…something hauntingly symbolic about burying a living thing toward a sure resurrection, at a moment in the season when everything else is dying or on the way out.”

It’s always that way with bulbs. They give something to look forward to.