Spring
Bulbs
After a long gray winter, it’s so nice to garden, patio,
or balcony in color once again. With spring-flowering bulbs, you
can start enjoying a a lavish display of flowers even earlier.
Crocuses, tulips, and hyacinths are some of the earliest to start
brightening the views outside of your windows. Making plans for
the garde? Don’t forget to include those spring-flowering
bulbs!
Months of flowering pleasure:
Every bulb has it’s own flowering period. If you know when
each one blooms, you can be delighting in their displays at the
very onset of spring. Winter aconites and snowdrops are the traditional
habingers of spring, their bright yellow and white always promise
more to come. Close on their heels will be crocuses, glory-in-the-snow
(Chionodoxa), narcissi and, the first early tulips. In April and
May, it’s time for grape hyacinths, late-flowering tulips,
and the impressive crown imperials (Fritillaria). Ornamental onions
flower from mid-May to far into July. As you can see, making the
right choices can provide you with six months of glorious color.
Floral accents:
Whether your garden is large or small, it’s got room for
bulbs somewhere. A good example is a perrenial border. In general,
these borders don’t start blooming until after mid-May.
Adding spring-flowering bulbs makes such a border prettier much
earlier than that. Give such bulbs as crocuses and spring anemones
(Anemone blanda) a spot among low perennials at the edge of these
borders. Amid the taller perennials, there is often room for tulips,
camassias, and stately ornamental onions. And the more shady spots
are just perfect for other bulbs such as scilla, glory-of-the-snow
(Chionodoxa), dog’s tooth violet (Erythronium, and certain
kinds of narcicissi that provide colorful accent among deciduous
and evergreen shrubs. And who can resist a carpet of pink, white,
and blue Spanish bluebells at the feet of tall trees?
Flowering carpet:
To create a flowering carpet, plant a generous amount of bulbs
fairly close together. For snowdrops, crocuses or scilas, you
could start with a couple hundred bulbs. Taller kinds such as
tulips, narcissi and ornamental onions can also be used to create
a field of color. In a classical garden of boxwood or lavender
parterres, they can be planted in a density of 60 bulbs in an
area of three square feet. These beds provide a breathtaking color
effect. Later annuals or summer-flowering bulbs can take the place
of the spring-flowering bulbous plants. Are taller kinds of flower
bulbs being added to the the existing plant scheme? In this case
planting about ten bulbs in an area of three square feet will
be sufficient.
Flower bulbs planted in garden soil:
Planting:
Before planting, loosen the soil thoroughly and work some compost
into it if needed. Dig a planting hole and place the bulbs in
it in an upright position. Small bulbs can be scattered.
When to plant:
Spring-flowering bulbs can be planted from September to December.
Plant before the ground freezes.
Planting depth:
The general rule for planting depth is: plant a bulb twice as
deep as it is tall. This means that the right depth for large
bulbs such as narcissi, tulips, and hyacinths is about 6 to 8
inches deep. The right depth for smaller bulbs such as snowdrops
and crocuses is around 5 inches.
Distance apart:
Large flower bulbs need more space between them than small bulbs.
Plant large bulbs leaving an average space between them of 5 inches;
small bulbs need only an average of 2 to 3 inches between. The
space between the bulbs (or the number of bulbs you plant in each
square foot) depends on the visual effect you wish to achieve.
For a casual, natural effect, plant bulbs at unequal distances
apart, staggaring placement from thick to thin. However, if what
you want is an even field of color, plant the bulbs at equal distances
from one another.
Water and frost:
After planting, water the area well. This stimulates the bulbs
to start producing roots. The earlier the roots are formed, the
faster the bulb will be able to tolerate cold and frost. Watering
can be discontinued when the autumn rains begin.
Leaving the bulbs in the ground:
Many bulbs can remain in the ground after flowering. Leave them
undesturbed and give the leaves the chance to die back. Next year
they will produce another profuse display of flowers. Provide
fertilizer when the bulbs emerge from the soil and repeat this
immediately after flowering.
Flower bulbs in pots and containers:
Planting is simple:
Patio and balconies are increasingly seen as an extention of the
living room or kitchen. In the summer, you look out at blooming
containers. In the spring, flower bulbs can provide the color
to brighten up your view.Planting flower bulbs in conainers is
so simple. Make sure your pot or container has a drainage hole
and then sart filling with potting soil. Fill just to the level
at which the bulbs will be at the right planting depth. Now place
the bulbs on top of the soil and fill with siol to a level just
beneath the edge. Bulbs in pots and containers can be planted
more closely together than in garden soil. A denser planting will
produce a a prettier visual effect. Also use a variation in flowering
height for a varied, natural look.
Tip #1.
In general, bulbs in pots will not suffer any damage from winter
cold. Even so, remember not to let them come too close to the
edges of the pots when planting them. After all, this is exactly
where frost can penetrate later. You can also put bubble wrap
inside the container and then add the soil or you can store the
containers in a garage or other protected spaces that will not
get above 55 degrees farenheit.
Tip #2.
Terra cotta pots can break due to freezing weather. This is because
the pot swells when it freezes. You can avoid this problem by
planting the flower bulbs first in a plastic pot and then putting
this “inside pot” into the terra cotta pot. If you
do so, however, make sure excess water can drain away easily.
You might even want to fill the space between the plastic pot
and the terra cotta pot with some insulation material, such as
bubble wrap.
Making layers of bulbs
You can plant flower bulbs in layers – the “sandwich”
or “lasagna” system – in the garden soil or
in pots and containers. The lowest layer will contain the bulbs
that flower last, such as tulips. Bulbs that flower earlier such
as crocuses or irises are planted over the later-flowering bulbs.
Bulbs experience no problems when they are planted over another.
They simply flower as usual in the same place but at different
times. This way, one pot can display bloom after bloom.
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