When to Plant Bulbs

by Ria H. Ratcliffe

Most winter-growing bulbs (tulips, crocus, daffodils, etc.) are planted in mid to late Autumn before the ground freezes. Tulips are more resilient with regard to planting time than many of the other bulbs, even into the winter.

There are no particular rules about planting techniques. A general rule of thumb is that bulbs should be planted about 2 to 3 times the depth of the bulb itself. In very cold winter areas where the ground freezes hard, it might be necessary to plant them deeper and mulch them for the winter months.

Most bulbs have a flat side (root end) and a pointed tip. Plant the bulbs with the tip up. If in doubt, don’t worry, Mother Nature will help the bulb into the right position. Depending on your soil, you may want to add some compost, peat moss, and some balanced fertilizer with equal percentages of nitrogen (N), phosphates (P), and potassium (K).

Tulips are beautiful, expensive, and come in endless varieties, but they have one big drawback: the squirrels and deer absolutely love them!

I know of a lady who asked her gardener to plant hundreds and hundreds of red tulips in a very large flower bed. The following spring, it was quite a show, but she also had single tulips all over her yard. The squirrels had carried the bulbs away and re-buried them to save for later. The nearby neighbors also had red tulips all over their yards.

My personal favorites are in the narcissus family, about 50 different species known as daffodils. A prospering field of naturalized daffodils can bloom for up to 50 years. Mine have been there for almost 20 years. There are many different sizes and ranges in colors from white, cream, or shades of yellow, and might include darker orange and apricot and pink or reddish trumpets.

You want them to grow in drifts, not rows, massing them with other contrasting colored bulbs. The little Muscari (grape hyacinths) in various shades of blue-purple look impressive when planted with the daffodils. By the way, the squirrels and deer will not bother them.

The first of the small bulbs to poke through the snow is usually the crocus and snowdrops (Galanthus). The snowdrops are very small, dainty little white bells. They prefer very cold winters and preferably a shaded area. To multiply, they can easily be dug up and split in spring, at or just after flowering time.

Hyacinths, paperwhite narcissus, and crocus can easily be “forced” to grow indoors. The giant amaryllis can be found in grocery stores or catalogs already potted and can thrill you with huge trumpet-like flowers in about six weeks. They range in colors from white, pink, and red (multi-colored combinations).

Bulbs are amazing. They look like ugly onions and grow into some of the most beautiful flowers in the world. This is a quick overview of bulbs. There is so much to enjoy!