Tips for Planting Bulbs

By Renee Randall - 2006-10-18 - Viewed 3903 times. Find more articles like this in our Gardening & Hobbies category.

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Choose bulbs that are fancy, fragrant, small, or grand.

Caladiums, Daffodils, and Glory of Snow are great bulb choices.

 Caladiums are decorative, heart-shaped bulbs of green, white, silver, pink, and red.

Daffodils are beautiful trumpet-like bulbs of many colorful choices that grow to the height of 4-20".

Glory of Snow are star-shaped pink, white, and blue bulbs that grow to the height of 4-5".

Hyacinths, Lilies, and Tulips are also great bulb choices. Hyacinths are foot-high bulbs of vibrant colors and rich fragrances. Lilies are flared trumpet-like bulbs of all different sizes, colors, and varieties. Tulips are strong, reliable bulbs of many different colors, sizes, and varieties.

Plant bulbs in spring if they bloom in fall, and in fall if they bloom in spring. Till or turn the soil in the area where you will be planting, remove any debris, and spread compost or manure over the area. Till or turn the soil and remove any debris again, then lightly rake the area.

Determine proper spacing, then begin planting each bulb with the top facing skyward at a depth equal to three times each bulb's diameter-- if a bulb is one inch across, plant it three inches deep. Cover and lightly pack bulbs with soil. Water thoroughly.

Stake bulbs that are larger by placing one end of a 4-foot pole beside the bulb while planting.

Fill in the hole and pack soil to remove any air pockets and to secure the pole.

Water thoroughly. As the plant grows, pinch off flower buds and side leaves from the stem so that only two ore three buds are left at the top of the stem.

Rest the stem against the stake, but do not secure it. Once the stem is about twelve inches high, loosely secure it to the stake with rope.

As the stem grows, continue securing it every eight to twelve inches.

Protect bulbs from animals during planting.

Arrange some stones at the bottom of the planting hole, place the bulb on top of the stones, place more stones around it, but do not cover the very top of the bulb, then fill in the hole.

If additional precautions need to be taken, line the bottom and sides of the planting hole with metal wire.

Fill lightly with some soil, place the bulb, then finish filling in the hole with soil. This method is used most often when planting beds of bulbs.

See our tips for Planting Tulip Bulbs

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