A General Guide For Planting Your Flower Bulbs

A General Guide For Planting Your Flower Bulbs

 

Whether you are planting tulips, bluebells, daffodils or snowdrops, they generally all prefer a similar well-drained environment.  Wet, heavy and boggy soil will hinder most bulbs growth. As a general rule, bulbs are happiest when they are planted 3x the width of the bulbs deep. This is what depth they naturalise at when established. Churning the soil to at least six inches before planting will give their roots a much better chance of penetrating the soil when they germinate. Do not compact down the soil beneath the bulb. Plant the bulbs pointed side up and rounded side down. Some bulbs may be indistinguishable between up and down, plant these on their side and let nature find it's way.

 

Keep the soil consistently moist during germination until shoots appear from the ground after a few weeks. However try not to keep the soil saturated as this will hinder their growth, and may well rot the bulbs. A quality compost or fertiliser will always help bulbs along. Once shoots have appeared you can scale back watering but try not to let the soil dry out completely.

When the plant blooms in a few months, feel free to cut the flowers and bring indoors to use in the vase. This will not harm the plant just remember to use sharp clean shears to cut the base of the stem. Prune away any dead, damaged or diseased foliage as you come across it.

 

 

If you are intending to propagate more flowers for the following season you may wish to collect seeds. Once the flowers have been pollinated, leave the flower heads to wither and the seed pods will form from the base of the flower. Once the seed pods dry out collect them and store them for next season.

If you do not wish to propagate from seeds, as this can often be tricky with certain varieties, remove flower heads when they begin to perish. This will stop the plant expending energy that will otherwise go back into the bulbs for next year. Most bulbs can be propagated by division when they are dormant.