Most savvy gardeners know that you plant bulbs in the fall, but did you know that you can plant potted bulbs as bedding plants in the spring? If you wait until spring, you’ll easily be able to tell where you need more color in your garden. Choose potted bulbs that aren’t blooming yet and plant them as you would store-bought impatiens. When’s a good time to set them in the ground? When you see daffodils and crocuses coming up.
Plant bulbs in a sunny location. Mix compost into the soil and add a small amount of bone meal in the planting hole before you place the bulb. Top-dress bulbs in early spring with a balanced fertilizer.
For a show-stopping garden, mass plant a plethora of bulbs rather than planting just a few in one single row. Mix bulbs with summer-blooming perennials for longer color in the garden. Don’t forget to plant extra bulbs for cuttings!
After Bloom
By Mary James
Many popular spring bulbs finish blooming this month. Some, like tulips and hyacinths, are annuals in our climate and can be yanked from the ground when the flowers fade. Others, like daffodils and baboon flowers (Babiana), will return next year. To keep them vigorous and encourage them to naturalize or multiply, cut off spent flower stalks but leave the foliage to continue to provide nutrients to replenish the bulbs. A light feeding helps this process. Remove leaves only when they turn yellow or brown. If they become unsightly, they can be braided or tied together and tucked out of sight.
