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Our best-ever bulb tips!

It begins quietly with the little Crocus, the early Jonquils, graceful Anemones and the cute but unassuming Spring Star Flowers. The high note follow as we see parades of glorious Tulips, drifts of golden Daffodils and sways of scented Hyacinths. The tempo rises further as the riotous Ranunculi burst into colour and the fragrant Freesias strut their stuff.
Bulbs truly are the highlight of Spring. Their very appearance, starting in the dead of Winter, will easily lift your morale as they bring life and colour back into the garden! And they`re wonderfully easy to grow!
For the beginner bulbs may seem exotic - with many originating in distance and exotic countries - but there`s nothing exotic about growing them. With just a little practise - and a few tips - you`ll be creating glorious Spring masterpieces, just like the experts.

Best ever bulb tips:

• Plant in clumps and drifts rather than long straight rows. Rows only suit large scale parks or farms. When planting I find it easiest to first remove the soil from the plot I`m planting up and place all the bulbs in first before back filling. This way I can better see the layout I am creating.
  
• Stick to the one variety per clump. The result is more intense colour. It also guarantees that more blooms will be in flower simultaneously for a `fuller` more generous effect
  
• Choose colours that work with each other, whether they be contrasting or harmonious, the result is always much more pleasing! Plan for eye-catching highlights of red or gold or perhaps a drift of pretty blue or pink.
  
• Plant where you`ll enjoy them. Plant bulbs where they will be enjoyed frequently. Perhaps along the path to the front door, lining the driveway or just outside the living room windows.
  
• Plant large, healthy bulbs and handle them with care.
  
• Consider the neighbouring plants. Bulbs can be used to handsomely fill the gaps in the garden left by dormant perennials. Or they could be used to draw attention to a garden feature (scarlet Tulips are very eye-catching!) or to bring colour to the shrubbery.
  
• Be bold! Plant densely rather than in dibs and dabs. The effect is always more impressive.
  
• Choose the right spot. Bulbs perform best when planted in full sun to light shade in a friable well drained soil.
  
• Wait until April or May to plant. Most bulbs can be planted any time during Autumn but it`s best to wait the soil cools down in mid May.
  
• Provide good, basic care. Bulbs have simple requirements and if these are met they will perform beautifully. Simply keep the soil moist whilst the bulbs are actively growing and keep the area relatively weed free.
  
• Satisfy their hunger. Just like us, bulbs flourish if well fed. This is simply a matter of feeding bulbs twice annually - once at planing time (Autumn) and again just after flowering. Simply spread some fertiliser - such as blood and bone or composted chook manure - over the top of the soil and water in.
  
• Continue caring, even after the flowers finish. After the flowers have finished, nip off the head, feed the bulbs and continue watering until the foliage dies down. By doing this you are helping your bulbs build up their strength for flowering in the following year.
  
• Use garden labels. This stops you from either forgetting what you`ve planted and/or where you`ve planted. The latter is quite important because many good bulbs have been ruined by having a shovel slice them into pieces.
  
• Plant sideways! The pointed end of the bulb is the one which should be pointed upwards (except in the case of Anemones and Ranunculi). However, if you`re unsure you can always plant the bulbs sideways and they will right themselves once they start to grow.
  
• Consider a mesh basket for planting. If you don`t have room in your garden to leave the bulbs in whilst the foliage dies back, you can plant the bulbs in a mesh basket which is, in turn, planted into the ground. After flowering, simply dig up the baskets - bulbs, soil and all - and place it elsewhere in the garden where the foliage can die back without detracting from your display.
  
• Lift Tulips and Hyacinths annually. Many bulbs will happily live in your garden undisturbed for many years but Tulips and Hyacinths are best dug up since the soil tends to get too hot for their liking. The bulbs need to be stored somewhere cool and airy. Hanging them up in old stockings or orange bags is always easy.
  
• Plant longer lasting colour! You can have a colourful bulb display that lasts from Winter all the way until Summer. It`s easy with a little planning: simply plant a clumps of early, mid and late flowering bulbs throughout the garden.
  
• Don`t forget the little bulbs. Plant the little bulbs to bloom like a carpet of vivid colour under the taller bulbs. These `little gems` are also excellent for adding brilliant colour to all manner of garden nooks and crannies.
  
• Over-plant with perennials. Flowering Spring bulbs are absolutely magic and it`s easy to disguise the foliage at the season`s end by over-planting with Summer flowering perennials. These perennials are the perfect partners for bulbs because they start growing in time to cover the dying bulb foliage and fill the gaps left behind with more colour for the season ahead. Favourite perennials for combining with bulbs include: Geraniums, Evening Primrose, Nemesias, Nepeta and more.
  
• Try under-planting with annuals! Bulbs under-planted with annuals opens up endless possibilities. Try pansies, violets or primulas in contrasting or harmonious colours. Plant blue pansies under orange or gold Tulips, plant white primulas under soft pink Tulips or golden daffodils. Let your imagination go wild! It`s fun and very effective.
  
• Watch out for slugs and snails! Slugs and snails consider bulb shoots a delicacy so be prepared!
  

Special hints for Tulips:

• Chill the bulbs in the crisper of the fridge 4-8 weeks prior to planting. The warmer your climate, the longer you need to chill the bulbs. (Make sure you clearly label them so that they aren`t mistaken for a vegetable and cut up for the stir fry!)
  
• Don`t plant Tulip bulbs in the same soil annually. This will only lead to a build up of soil born pests or diseases which will eventually weaken the performance of your bulbs.
  
• It`s necessary to keep the bulbs cool and dry over Summer so that the flower bud has a chance to form inside the bulb. Do NOT leave the bulbs in a plastic bag (since they will sweat and rot) or leave them in the old tin shed where they are likely to be cooked - literally! You should also keep them out of the way of hungry mice. We recommend you hang them in old stockings or orange mesh bags.
  

Last Reviewed: 18/02/2004 9:33:41 AM