Fran's Guide to Gardening

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Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs

When is the best time to plant?

It is often said that the best time to plant daffodils is in October and
tulips are best planted no later than November.

However, you can plant both daffodils and tulips right up until
Christmas and still get a display in spring, so in fact if you stagger
your bulb planting through October to December, you will get a much
longer display from February through to April/May.

Just make sure that the bulbs are stored in a cool dry place, and check
them over for any signs of mould, make sure they are not shrivelled, and
also that they are not soft to the touch, they should still be firm.

How deep do I plant the bulbs?

It is very important when planting bulbs to plant them deep enough. This
is one of the reasons why bulbs often fail to flower in the second and
third years after planting, as the top 3 inches or so of the soil dries
out during the summer and this affects the bulbs.

If you are planting the large trumpet daffodils, then try and make sure
that they are at least 8 inches deep, or even deeper if you know the
soil tends to be dry. Smaller bulbs can be planted less deeply. The
rule of thumb is that the bulbs should be covered with soil to at least
twice their own depth. So for example, a hole for a bulb that is 2
inches in depth would need to be 6 inches deep to allow for 4 inches of
soil covering.

Naturalise bulbs in the lawn

Naturalised bulbs can look fantastic in the spring. If you are lucky
enough to be able to plant them before the turf is laid, then it does
make the job a little easier. Either way, a good idea is to gently
scatter the bulbs over the area you want to cover and then plant the
bulbs where they land. Use a trowel to make each individual hole, again
remembering to plant the bulb deep enough.

Once your bulbs have finished flowering, leave the foliage to die down
naturally - don't be tempted to cut it back. The bulb needs the goodness
from the leaves to build up reserves for the following year. In
addition, you can also give a liquid feed after flowering, every 2 weeks
until the foliage has died down. If the bulbs appear overcrowded, now is
the time to dig them up and split them.

Enjoy your spring show of bulbs!

Fran Barnwell

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