Planting bulbs is relatively straightforward. Dig a hole, drop in a bulb, and cover it with dirt. Well, at least it's almost that easy. To get them off to a good start, follow these bulb-planting tips:
The Bulb Planter: This cylindrical hand-held tool is designed specifically for planting bulbs. Simply push it into the ground and pop out a soil core. Bulb planters come in handy if you're doing a large planting, but they are difficult to use in compacted soils. Most have depth measurements stamped on the side of the cylinder.
The Dibber (also called the dibble): The beauty of the dibber lies in its simplicity. Shaped like a carrot, it's only job is to poke holes in the dirt. A dibber is a great choice for planting small bulbs but can be difficult to use in compacted soils.
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One year, my mother was given a potted Easter lily. After the blooms were spent and shriveled, she gave me the plant, to do with as I liked.
With spring finally here, it's time to get outside and plant some flowers, vegetables and bulbs. I usually forget what I have planted where.
When planting your spring bulbs it's almost impossible to remember exactly where you planted them. Buy a box of straws and stick them in the soil above the bulbs, leave 2" showing above the soil. I planted pink straws with my tulips, yellow straws with my daffodils and so on.
For years, I have used this pencil for measuring the depth to plant small bulbs like these freesias. The tiny ones need to go in 1 inch and the larger ones at 2 inches.
If you have different varieties and colors of flowering bulb, make stakes out of old miniblinds and write the color and type on the stake. It is always harder to remember the type and color after they bloom.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
When is the best time to plant bulbs, in September or October?
Hardiness Zone: 5a
By debbie johnson from WI
Don't plant your spring blooming bulbs until after the the 2nd frost in your area otherwise they might try to bloom in late fall and you could mess up their cycle.
What are your tips for growing and saving money on bulbs? Please post them below.
Trade bulbs with friends, neighbors and family. Especially good when someone is dividing their Iris plants up.
When can you plant a scilla flower bulb?
By Lisa
I live in zone 9 and really want to grow callas. Can I start them indoors to get a good start now (January 1) for spring planting? We get a few days of freezing and have already lost quite a few bulbs planted outside in summer.
By Gayle
Bulbs are a wonderful addition to your landscape, they will multiply and provide beautiful colors, shapes, and fragrances in your garden for years to come. Planting dozens of bulbs can seem a bit overwhelming at first. Read the following article for tips on buying and planting bulbs.
This is a page about digging up and storing tender bulbs. While some plants that grow from bulbs, corms, or tubers do well in colder zones during the spring and summer, they may need to be overwintered to save them for next year.
This is a page about planting bulbs indoors. Bulbs can be grown indoors so that they bloom early, often in time for the holiday season.
This is a page about fall planting guide for spring bulbs. To have beautiful flowering bulbs in the spring you will want to plant them in the fall.
This is a page about how to naturalize bulbs. Naturalizing your bulbs in the lawn and scattered about your garden presents a very pleasing, less formal effect.
This is a page about extending the life of your tulip bulbs. Choosing the right bulbs, garden soil and location, as well as year around care can help extend the life of your tulip bulbs.
This is a page about forcing bulbs. Many gardeners enjoy forcing bulbs indoors, allowing them to enjoy beautiful flowers long before they would bloom in the spring.
This is a page about growing summer blooming bulbs. Warm soil and sunny summer days are the perfect conditions for the emergence of the summer blooming bulbs, such as: calla, crocosmias, gladioli, and dahlia.
This is a page about forcing bulbs in winter. Forcing bulbs in winter is easy to do and helps bring a bit of spring to your home early.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Can I plant tulip bulbs in the Spring? Will they rot?
I would like to start planning on planting my bulbs. Where is a good source to get info on the types of bulbs? Do bulbs only bloom in the spring?
When is the best time to plant tulip, lily, crocus and iris bulbs? I ordered about 60 of these bulbs and they said they are fall harvest. Does that mean to plant them in the fall?
