Great spring gardens begin with great bulbs, and late October & November are finally time to plant them! If you have not already purchased your bulbs, you’ll be glad to know that here at EJC will still have lots of options for you to choose from.
Our friends at digdropdone.com have some great inspirational ideas to play with – including a Bulb Personality Quiz, how to turn bulb planting into an event for the whole family, lots of ways to arrange the bulbs as you plant them for some great results, and lots lots more!
Here are some smart tips from our friends at Dig! Drop! Done! for getting great results from your spring bulbs:
First up is what our experts think is a tip crucial for success – adding Hy Yield Dutch Bulb Food when you plant. This will nourish and pamper the bulb, so to speak, throughout the winter.
- Good soil preparation is the very first step. Make sure it is loose and porous to make the planting easier (and because good drainage is necessary for all types of bulbs). Adding peat moss to the soil is a good trick to improve drainage.
- Include a little bone meal in the soil for and extra-long term source of phosphorus – critical for bulb and root growth nutritious boost for your bulbs.
- The planting depth of bulbs depends on their size: a good rule of thumb is that the depth should be 3x the diameter of the bulb. However, planting depths vary by variety. For more specific planting depths, check the label on your bulb package. Try to plant them each at the same depth if a uniform look is what you want.
- The spacing of the bulbs depends largely on the effect you are trying to achieve. For best results plant in clumps of large groups rather than in single rows.
- After planting, water them lightly just to help them settle in – don’t drown them!And that’s it – you’re done! Sit back now and wait for spring and best bulb showing on the block! (And if you just can’t wait until spring and want your bulb blooms sooner, check out our article on “forcing” bulbs”.
