September 27, 2005
More About Bulbs
Martha's program today featured a how-to on bulbs. In case you missed it, a few of her tips follow.
1. Look for plump, unblemished bulbs from a good nursery or Costco (the turnover there is so fast, you don't have to worry about the bulbs being picked over). Check for bruises, breaks and mold just as you would produce you were buying to eat.
2. Always be sure to plant with the root side down. Roots go into the ground, right? The little tip is the top.
3. Plant three times the depth of your bulb in light, loose soil amended with bone meal or super phosphate. Her hyacinths and tulips were two inches long and planted six inches deep. The narcissus were two and a half inches and planted nine inches deep. Squirrels and deer LOVE all bulbs except narcissus, which is another good reason to plant deep.
4. You can layer your bulbs in the ground or in a container (she used a very cool clear acrylic planter), with the large bulbs at the bottom covered by a good layer of soil, and the smaller bulbs like crocus above. Then you can top it all off with a planting of violas or the like. The bulbs at the bottom will come up through the ones on the top, even if they are directly underneath.
5. A nice way to plant bulbs for a natural look is to scatter them, then push them into the soil where they land. They will naturalize if planted in a hospitable environment and you let the foliage die back after blooming in the spring.
6. If you do not live in an area with cold winters, be sure to check your garden center's directions for pre-chilling your bulbs.
Bulb Tips