How do you choose and plant spring bulbs?
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After a blissful summer, it seems autumn is truly making its entrance. Although the garden is still in full bloom and I want to extend the summer a bit by filling the house with bouquets, September also invites us to start thinking about next year. From this month, you can start planting spring bulbs. Which bulbs will you choose? And where in the garden will you plant them?
Choosing spring bulbs
This is the most enjoyable part of the work, I think. My golden tip is: choose what you find beautiful and don't overthink it. You'll always find a spot in the garden for a few extra bulbs, or you can plant them in a pot.
What are spring bulbs?
You buy spring bulbs at the end of summer and in the fall, when they are dormant. They are the pioneers of spring and bloom early in the season. Think of snowdrops, grape hyacinths, dwarf irises, tulips, crocuses, and daffodils.
There are also summer bulbs: we're talking about dahlias, gladioli, and among others, lilies.
What color spring bulbs do you choose?
While yellow and red once dominated tulip collections, there are now many beautiful colors available. You can choose spring bulbs in similar shades or plant a surprising color here and there. I have a soft spot for soft pink to light orange varieties, but the range is vast. There are tulips in soft lilac or pastel yellow, with pointed petals or very round ones that almost look like little roses.
Tuck in a few grape hyacinths (did you know muscari also comes in white?) and some cheerful yellow daffodils, and your spring border is complete.
I selected a whole bunch of surprising spring bulbs that you can buy in our webshop.
Planting spring bulbs
Where to plant spring bulbs?
Spring bulbs are perfect for planting throughout your borders. They bloom early in spring, when many other perennials are not yet budding or have no leaves. This makes them excellent fillers, bringing vibrant color before the rest of the garden awakens.
I personally prefer to plant spring bulbs in clusters, just as they appear in nature. A handy planting tip: grab a handful of bulbs, let them fall to the ground, and plant them where they land. This looks much more natural than spacing them evenly apart.
Bulbs for every soil?
Attention, spring bulbs don't like wet feet, so you need a well-draining soil where water can easily escape. If that's not the case, such as with heavy clay soil, you might opt to plant the bulbs in a pot instead. This is also a great tip for those without a garden but with a terrace or balcony. Alternatively, work some sand into the soil to ensure the bulbs don't sit in water.
New flowers every month with the bulb lasagna
Spring bulbs do perfectly in a pot by the way. Tip: turn your pot into a bulb lasagna, with bulbs in different layers on top of each other! Such a lasagna will bloom layer by layer, providing your terrace or balcony with color for a long time.
Spring bulbs in the lawn?
You can also plant your spring bulbs in the lawn. This creates a very nice and surprising effect when all that color suddenly shoots up between the grass in early spring. The downside is that you'll have to wait a bit to mow the grass. Or you can plant them in clusters and neatly mow around the area where the spring bulbs are, allowing the grass there to grow a little higher temporarily.
How do you plant spring bulbs in the lawn?
- Carefully remove the top layer of the lawn and set it aside.
- In the loosened soil, you then plant the spring bulbs.
- Put the grass layer back on and press gently.
How do you plant spring bulbs?
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Make a planting hole
You can make a large planting hole to place several bulbs or make one planting hole per bulb. For this, a bulb planter is a very handy tool. -
Choose the depth of the planting hole.
Calculate three times the height of the bulb to determine how deep the planting hole should be. A large bulb will quickly go about 15 cm deep, while smaller bulbs can be planted at a depth of five to ten centimeters. -
Place the spring bulb(s) in the planting hole.
Plant spring bulbs with the tip facing upwards. From this tip, the flower's stem will later grow, so it's important to plant them correctly. As for spacing, use the same rule as for depth: three times the bulb's circumference. Large bulbs about five centimeters in size (like tulips) should be spaced about 15 cm apart. Though, I sometimes dare to plant them a bit closer. -
Cover the hole with soil.
Planning to plant your spring bulbs in multiple stages? Place a stick in the ground where you've planted now, so in a few weeks, you'll remember where not to dig. -
Water them.
This helps spring bulbs develop roots more quickly, allowing them to better withstand the cold days of winter. If it's a wet period, you won't need to repeat this. However, keep an eye on the pots where you've planted bulbs: they dry out faster if it doesn't rain for a few days or if it freezes soon.