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Shopping For The Right Bulbs

May 8th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Complementing your perennial flowers with grasses, shrubs, and annuals are a perfect way to design a complete garden. However, oftentimes what is missing are bulbs! Most novice gardeners tend to think of bulbs as an entirely separate plant from perennials. However, bulbs are actually just standard perennials that have somewhat “special skills”. They come back year after year so long as they are planted in the right conditions.

The most interesting thing about bulbs is that they have an unusually high capacity to store much needed food and water for extended periods of time. This is good news for the gardener because it means that you do not need to spend much time caring and maintaining them. You can also harvest your bulbs, as well as ship them, without worry of damage when they are out of the ground.There is a bulb suited to just about every climate in every growing season. Tulips come to mind for most people when they think about bulbs. However, tulips are not the only bulbs that are made for spring, and a lot of people forget that spring is not the only season that attracts specific types of bulbs.
There are many other varieties of different bulbs that you can obtain an order to brighten the colors of your garden in the summertime and in the fall. There are even some bulbs that bloom in winter and subtropical regions as well as coastal regions.

Just about every garden center will have a variety of bulbs that you can choose from and since they are so durable and easy to care for out of the ground, you can even order them through the mail. Here are two tips to help you when shopping for your bulbs:

1. Always compare the prices of your bulbs when ordering by mail from a catalog or a website. In addition to cost, be sure to compare the sizes of the bulbs. If you find that two of the same packages cost the same but one contains larger bulbs, then they will grow larger flowers for you, so you may want to choose the larger bulb package over the other.

2. If you decide to shop at your local nursery, then think about bulb-shopping the same as you would when you are considering potatoes and onions at the grocery store. In other words, try to pick bulbs that are firm and solid, that do not have discoloration, and are absent of rotten spots that are spreading.

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4 Tips To Help You When Planting Bulbs

April 30th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

By planting bulbs in your garden, you can dramatically increase the overall beauty and color of your design. Bulbs are extremely compact and do not require much space of all. And equally important, they do not greedily drain the nutrients that your perennials and other flowers need to sustain their own growth. You can plant them right in between your perennials or even underneath them and each will grow successfully.

Although you can plant your bulbs individually, a much easier way is to plant multiple bulbs inside a single hole. When it comes to bulb spacing, be sure to keep a few inches between each “hole”. If the bulbs you’re planting are all the same size, then you can easily throw them into one large hole.  However, if you’re planting some that vary in size, then it is best to plant the bulbs in layers by placing the smaller ones directly overhead of the larger bulbs.

A few quick tips when planting bulbs:
1. Many new gardeners make the mistake of not planting enough bulbs as well as not planting them in groups. Since most bulbs only produce a few flowers at a time, sometimes only one, it is best to arrange them in groups.

2. When it comes to planting large bulbs, such as lilies for example, it is best to plant at least 4 bulbs together at one time.

3. For the best overall appearance when planting daffodils, tall tulips, and hyacinths, it is ideal when you plant them in groups of five to eight. You can add a bit more but try to stay below ten of these types of bulbs in one group because it will be overcrowded and form too much of a cluster.

4. When it comes to very small bulbs that create flowers under 12 inches, you should plant them in large numbers in order to make an impact. Twenty-five at one time should be considered the bare minimum. However, be sure not to go over 80 or 90 bulbs. This can create a bit of cramping and prevent many from blooming.

Caring For Your Bulbs

April 24th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

In order to properly care and maintain the bulbs that you want to plant in your garden, you need to keep track of exactly what you have in stock. Many bulbs are extremely tolerant and can be kept well enough alone if accidentally ignored for several months. On the other hand, there are other bulbs that must be replanted as early as possible to prevent them from drying out. The key to all this is of course knowing how to identify your bulbs in stock.

1. One trick that most gardeners use is to take notice of the type of packing material the bulbs are in. Doing so will provide the best clue. For example, if you find bulbs that were sold to you loose and dry, then it is typically safe to store them up to four or five weeks until you can get around to planting them. Bulbs that are packed in extremely moist peat moss should be planted in the ground as soon as possible.

2. Hold off on moving or dividing an evergreen bulb until it hits the non-flowering stage. Do not transplant your other bulbs until they are dormant and the leaves have turned brown. Dig up the entire clump and carefully pull the bulbs apart. Then replant each one separately. By repeating this process every couple of years, you can enjoy the beauty of hundreds of new plants that stemmed from only a dozen or so bulbs that you originally started with.

3. Another tip is to always snip off the bloom as soon as it has dried out. This will prevent the bulb from wasting its energy and nutrients by trying to turn the dead blossom into seeds. Now instead of wasting its energy, the bulb will have more energy to work on creating its new bloom.

4. And lastly, it can be a bit of a chore to keep your bulbs maintained so that you can enjoy them for years to come.  For example, many tulips are incredibly intolerant of soil that is very wet, which is especially true when in dormancy. Therefore, in areas that has high rainfall levels during the summertime, you have to dig up your tulips once the leaves have turned brown and then store them in a dry location to prevent them from rotting.

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