How do I select and plant flower bulbs for spring blooms?
Fall is the perfect time to be thinking about planting bulbs. Come spring, you can have a dazzling display. Tulips, Narcissus (daffodils, jonquils, etc.) and hyacinth – all true bulbs, are just some of the possibilities. For the best selection, choose plump, firm bulbs that feel heavy for their size. These tend to produce bigger and more blooms. Avoid shriveled, soft or damaged bulbs.
Choose bulbs that grow well in your area and purchase as soon as they become available. If you can't plant them right away, store in a cool, dark, and dry place. Bulbs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks, but be sure to keep them away from fruits, especially apples, whose chemical reaction can damage bulbs. Local nurseries carry the most popular bulb varieties. For a more extensive selection, purchase from reputable mail-order nurseries. Many specialize in bulbs, or even a single bulb variety.
There is some debate about the need for fertilizers at planting time, especially those added to the bottom of the planting hole. The International Bulb Society offers this guidance: ‘If you're planting bulbs for only one year's blooms (annuals) there is no need to fertilize. Bulbs already carry a season's supply of food stores. For bulbs that you intend to naturalize (“perennialize”) for years to come, you have the following options: 1) Add a good organic compost or well-rotted cow manure worked into the soil when planting, and a mulch of this material; 2) add a slow release bulb food; or 3) add a combination of bone meal and 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 (NPK), fast-release soluble fertilizer (about one tablespoon per square foot). If you plan to add bulb formulas or other fertilizes to the planting hole, be sure to add them into the soil, well under the root zone prior to planting as they can burn the new roots.”
Plant your flowering bulbs in groups, either in small clusters or drifts, for the most eye-catching display. Lay a bulb down here and there or scatter and mix, large with small, for a spontaneous, natural look. Flowering bulbs look wonderful in containers, either by themselves or partnered with annuals. Tulips and pansies make great companions. Plant as few as 6 or as many as 40 bulbs in a 16” wide pot for a knock-out display. You can mix and match or simply switch out pots as one group fades and another is in full bloom. To prolong the flower show, vary varieties to include early, mid-, and late-season bloomers. Pay attention to plant heights as well. To maximize visual impact, place taller bloomers to the back or center and shorter one to the front or outside.
Naturalizing bulbs such as daffodils, California native iris, Muscari (grape hyacinth), and “species” tulips, will give you many years of repeat blooms as long as you allow plants to die back naturally. This ensures that bulbs have sufficient stored nutrients to support next year's flowers. That means not removing your flowering bulbs' dead leaves and stems until they are completely dried out. Withered leaves can be easily hidden with strategically placed late spring and summer bloomers. The emerging foliage of annuals and perennials destined for late spring or summer bloom is enough to keep the garden in green splendor. Catmint, coneflowers, Veronica, daylilies, and yarrow are just some of the plants that can take over the show, keeping your garden beautiful season after bulb-blooming season.
Sources:
Sunset Western Garden Book
American Daffodil Society
American Meadows
Pacific Bulb Society
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