Saturday, October 25, 2008

Planting Bulbs Series: Putting them Into the Ground


My bulbs arrived in the mail and I needed to research just how to properly plant them into the garden.

Here is the best article I found on how to plant bulbs in the garden:
Planting Bulbs

Here is an excerpt from the article about WHEN to plant your bulbs. You will need to know your hardiness zone to figure out your best bulb planting schedule.
Hardiness Zone Look-Up

"The best time to plant spring-flowering bulbs depends on where you live. Ideally, wait until the soil temperature is below 60°F. As a general guide, plant in September through early October if you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 or 5; October to early November in zones 6 or 7; and November to early December in zones 8 and 9. Plant bulbs that have been refrigerated for 8 to 10 weeks in late December to early January in zone 10."
I ordered the bulbs online and they held my order until it was time to plant them in the ground. I decided I needed to just do it before I forgot about the bulbs and they sat in the box all winter. (Not like I have ever done that before.)

The instructions that came with the bulbs said that the soil needs to have good drainage and our natural garden soil is a little on the clay-like side so we added some soil enhancer to increase the texture of the soil. The instructions also said to add a little bulb booster product and I found this sack at Home Depot for a few dollars. I read the back and added the prescribed amount into each hole I dug.

Here are my holes for the allium gladiator bulbs that I purchased. I am so excited about planting these guys and I look forward to seeing them bloom sometime next year.

Here are my tulip bulbs going in. They will be in the front of the garden box that the allium is in and they will bloom at different times. I purchased purple tulips for the first time. I also planted dutch iris and double daffodils for a total of forty-one new bulbs. It took me the better part of an afternoon but now I can sit back and wait for spring and some new color in my garden. You know I will share photos. :)

Don't miss your best opportunity for a spring bloom. It will be a delight to see all that spring bulb color after a long winter.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom