Spring flowering bulbs are planted in the fall and this is the right time to be planting them. Bulbs are an easy, inexpensive way to add early colour to the spring landscape and if planned right you can have different varieties of bulbs bloom until early summer. It does not take a master gardener to be able to grow bulbs successfully because the bulb itself has everything it needs inside the bulb. Within the bulb there is the ready formed flower bud, leaves, stem, and food supply. All that is needed is for the bulb to be planted properly and given water and the rest of the work is done by the bulb. The bulb should be planted in September/early October for the best success because you want the bulb to form roots before the frost sets into the ground. You can get away with planting bulbs later in the fall but that depends on the weather and some extra mulch to delay the ground from freezing too early. Bulbs should be planted in a well drained soil and if the soil is not well drained, some extra compost or sand mixed with the soil would be beneficial. A sprinkle of bone meal added to the hole before placing the bulbs in the ground will help root formation. Plant bulbs with the pointed tip facing up and the roots or basal plate down. A general rule for planting depth is planting the bulb 3x deeper then the size of the bulb. (If purchasing packaged bulbs there will be more specific planting instructions on the package.) For the best display bulbs of the same variety/type are planted in groups of 7-9 bulbs per group, and bulbs should be spaced 2-3 inches apart. After the bulbs are planted give them a good drink of water and make sure that they are well watered before the frost sets into the ground.
Bulbs grow best in full sun to partial shade. In the spring deciduous trees and shrubs may not have any foliage yet so these areas receive ample sunlight for the early flowering bulbs. Planting around perennials is also useful as the earlier blooming perennials can add to the floral display, or the later growing perennials will not distract from the bulbs and will later in season hide the foliage of the bulbs as the foliage dies back after the flower is done. It is very important and necessary that after the bulb has finished flowering that the finished flower is removed before a seed pod can be formed and the remaining stem and foliage be left to die back naturally. As the stem and foliage is dying back the bulb is taking the nutrients to form next years flower and food supply. If you remove the foliage before it naturally dies back there will not be a flower next spring. Fall planted bulbs are fertilized in the spring when start to see them come up. Use a bulb fertilizer such as 4-14-8.
Bulbs are a good investment for the landscape because once they are planted they come back and flower year after year. When the flowers become smaller it is time to dig up the bulbs and divide them and replant them. This is done in August after the foliage has died back. The bulbs are dug up and allowed to air dry for a few days and then the small bulblets are separated from the large bulbs. Throw out the little bulbs as these will not contain a flower. (Remember the bigger the bulb the bigger the flower because the bulb is the storage house for the flower!) Store the large bulbs in a dry place and in early September these bulbs are re-planted again. If you do not want to throw out the little bulbs you can re-plant them when the larger bulbs are planted but plant the smaller bulbs somewhere where they won't be seen because they will not bloom. The bulb itself will grow larger and in 2-3 years time these small bulbs will be large enough to bloom.
