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General Spring flower bulb plant care

Spring flower bulbs are easy

Spring flower bulbs are very simple to grow & most have similar requirements so that once you understand the basics you can grow almost any bulbs with ease.

Planting time:

For best results, plant Spring flower bulbs April to May (Australia). This allows both the weather and the soil to cool.

Depth & Spacing:

Most bulbs are planted twice as deep as the bulb is high/tall and the same distance apart. The pointed end of the bulb should be upwards. (Anemone & Ranunculi are the only exceptions).

Soil type:

Most Spring flower bulbs require a freely draining soil. You can raise the beds to improve drainage or plant in pots if your soil is soggy.

Position:

Most bulbs require full sun to light shade. Generally heavier shade produces taller (and softer) stems. In warmer climates, most bulbs tolerate greater levels of shade.

Watering:

Most Spring bulbs like their soil kept moist whilst actively growing (late Winter to early Summer) & reasonably dry whilst dormant. Therefore, start watering when green shoots appear and stop when foliage starts to yellow after flowering. If you experience high Summer rainfalls dig the bulbs up in Summer and store them in a dry spot.

Feeding:

A general rule of thumb is to top dress all bulbs in Autumn & water in. Use a specialty bulb fertiliser or general fertiliser. Many bulbs perform better if a second dressing is applied straight after flowering.

After flowering care:

After flowering, it's important that you continue watering & feeding the leaves since they are generating the energy the bulb requires to produce next year's beautiful flowers.

Digging & storing your spring flower bulbs:

Allow the foliage to die down before lifting. Firstly loosen the soil with a fork and gently pull up the bulbs by their stems. Allow the bulbs to dry somewhere cool (not in full sun). Once dry, clean excess dirt and remove old flower stalks. Store the bulbs somewhere cool (less than 25oC), dry and airy until replanting the following Autumn

To refrigerate or not to refrigerate?

Tulips are the only bulbs which require 4-8 weeks in the crisper of the fridge. DO NOT FREEZE THEM

Guide lines for potting your Spring flower bulbs:

Keep the bulbs away from the outer edges of the pot which get very hot.
Water regularly.
Plant the bulbs in the garden the following year since most won't flower in consecutive years in pots.

Which bulbs where?

Bulbs for sunny spots

The bulbs below thrive in such spots in a cool to temperate climate and they also tolerate shade for a couple of hours each day. In warmer climates they tolerate greater levels of shade:

Anemones, Freesias, Alliums, Hyacinths, Brodiaea
Ranunculi
Dutch Iris, Daffodils, Lachenalias, Spring Star Flowers, Ixias
Grape Hyacinths, Sparaxis and Species Gladioli.

Bulbs for shady areas

These bulbs tolerate 2 - 3 hours of full sun each day or filtered light all day:

Anemones, Lachenalias, Crocus, Tulips, Daffodils
Bluebells, Cuban Lilies, Hyacinths, Lachenalias
Grape Hyacinths.

Bulbs for rockeries

These smaller bulbs are ideal:

Blue bells, Dutch Iris, Daffodils, Rock Tulips, Rain Lilies
Babiana
Lachenalias, Cuban Liles, Grape Hyacinths and Spring Star Flowers.

Bulbs for naturalising

These bulbs can be left to flower happily by themselves. (See our Feature gardening article on Naturalising bulbs):

Anemones, Ixias, Blue bells, Daffodils, Dutch Iris
Freesias
Sparaxis, Watsonias, Lachenalias and Grape Hyacinths.

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