Is it just me or is there something just absolutely magical about that first bloom, ushering in the signs of spring each year. Seeing that first bright Tulip or Daffodil with their vibrant colors against a bland backdrop fills you with a sense of hope and happiness about the coming season. In order to enjoy these first spring flowers in your garden or yard a little bit of fall planning and prep work is all you need.
Step 1. Decide where you want to plant your bubs and make a drawing of your yard/garden that shows your plan. A simple sketch or plot map on a blank sheet of paper will work. You should include in your plan the measurements of your planting area. This is important as it will be used to determine how many bulbs you will need to fill in your planting area. I use a measuring wheel for larger areas or just a simple tape measure for small spaces.
Step 2. Pick your bubs. You can usually find daffodil and tulip bulbs at your local garden center. However, I like to look through catalogs or at online bulb retailers and flower nurseries to find unique bulbs. Online retailers will have a great deal of options, but just be sure you read through reviews before ordering to determine if other Gardner’s have had luck with ordering from the site. Some of my go to online sites are Breck’s https://www.brecks.com/, Longfield Gardens https://www.longfield-gardens.com/, and Nature Hills Nursery https://www.naturehills.com/. As you’re looking through all of the options you will want to narrow it down not only by the color palate but also by growing zone. Most online nurseries will have maps or a feature that allows you to type in your zip code to find out your growing zone. You can also go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s online hardiness zone map to determine your zone https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/. Make sure you select bulbs that state they are suitable for your hardiness zone. The bulbs I chose this year for my flower garden are the Menton Tulip, the Ollioules Darwin Hybrid Tulip, the Polar Hunter Daffodil and the My Story Double Daffodil. Another recommendation to consider is mixing early, mid and late blooming varieties for a continuous show of color throughout the spring.
Step 3. Once your bulbs arrive take them out of the box and packaging to inspect them for damage or rotten bulbs. If you live in a colder climate you will want to get your bulbs in the ground well before the ground freezes so they have time to establish roots and settle in to help them survive the winter. If you live in a warmer climate like myself, your planting dates are more flexible. I live and garden in zone 8b so my ideal time to plant bulbs is usually in December. However, most tulips and daffodils require a certain amount of chill time so that they know when to be dormant and when to wake up and start growing. So if you live in an area that does not typically see temperatures below 40 degrees in the winter, it is best to chill the bulbs before planting. You can chill your bulbs in your refrigerator, but you need to remember a few important notes on this.
- Make sure your bulbs are clean before storing them. If the bulbs appear dirty you can rinse them off, which will help take care of any bacteria or fungus. Be sure that you let the outside of the bulb fully dry at room temperature before placing in the refrigerator. Two to three days should be plenty of time for them to dry.
- Store them away from any fruit in your fridge. Fruit releases ethylene gas which will affect your bulbs and reduce their blooming.
- Do not store them in plastic bags. Plastic bags will retain moisture and cause your bulbs to rot. Instead store them in a paper or mesh bag.
- Check your bulbs every 2 weeks for signs of rot or other issues.
The amount of time you chill them will depend on the requirements of your variety and your climate. Most online retailers will tell you in the description how many chill hours a certain variety requires. On average tulips and daffodils will require anywhere from 8-14 weeks of chill time depending on the unique variety.
Step 4. Time to plant. When it is time to plant your bulbs, make sure you have everything on hand that you will need:
- shovels
- garden gloves (if needed)
- bulb fertilizer or ammendments (I use either Biotone Organic Starter or Bone Meal)
- compost (I use Organic Land & Sea Compost)
- top soil (if needed)
Most of these items you can find at your local garden center or nursery. My local go to place here in Albany Georgia is Mark’s Greenhouses Landscape and Nurseries (you can find them on facebook), they are always super helpful and have everything I could possibly need, not to mention quite a bit of things I don’t necessarily “need”, but always end up buying because I just can’t help myself at plant nurseries.
Once you have all of your items, you will want to dig out the soil to the depth indicated on the bulb packaging. Most tulips and daffodils have a 6-8 inch planting depth. Since I was planting quite a few bulbs, I dug a wide trench about 6 inches deep.
Once your planting area is dug, sprinkle your bulb fertilizer or ammendment over the area and work into the soil. Place each bulb, root side down about 4 inches in between each bulb.
Cover the planting area with compost and topsoil, and if desired you can also place a layer of mulch on top. Now just sit back and wait for spring to enjoy all of the beautiful blooms!
Planting Tulips and Daffodils in Containers
To plant tulips or daffodils in containers you will follow the same principles as above, except you will have to pay more attention to temperatures, as bulbs planted in pots are much more susceptible to freezing. Additionally, bulbs planted in containers are more susceptable to rot if the pot does not have proper drainage. The ideal temperature is between 35-45 degrees F. So if your pot is on the smaller side and the bulbs are not well insulated (a pot that is less than 24 inch in diameter) then you might need to move the pot to a cool place indoors, like a garage until the threat of freezing temperatures has passed.
I hope this brings you some inspiration on planting and enjoying some of spring’s earliest and most colorful flowers!
~Love Kristen
