“Tulips and daffodils are generally ‘bullet proof’ for even the most novice of gardeners.” – Dallas Bergstrom

Now is the time to have visions of bulbs in your head. Are you seeing them dancing around in the spring breezes, blanketing the earth in shades of striking crimson to penetrating black, fuchsia to canary yellow, pale pinks to pristine whites? Bulbs are the best! Why, well they cost almost nothing, they come in a rainbow of colors, so much so you could probably match paint swaths with them to perfectly coordinate with your house, their show is one that can generally stop traffic, and they are the first and most consistent reminder that spring has indeed sprung. The only stickler with bulbs is that you have to think ahead, like now and get those babies in the soil for the performance of the springtime to take place requires fore thought. I have been quite lucky with bulbs; they typically come back for at least a couple of seasons in my garden. But I do precipitously run out and buy a few hundred every autumn; it is a disease that I cannot control, particularly with tulips.

But, as many of us know gardening can be a real crap shoot and there is nothing more annoying than only getting one good season out of a bevy of bulbs, or realizing one frosty morning that the squirrels and other critters have dug up your precious daffodils as they scurry across the frigid landscape bulb dangling from their shivering lips. However there are some precautions we gardeners can take to ensuring a wash of color comes spring and many seasons there after. Dallas Bergstrom, owner of Bergstrom Greenhouse and Nursery and landscape architect helps to dispel the one season quandary of bulbs, give design tips and generally aid us in making our bulbs be the best that they can be!

“Bulbs are spring eternal!” Booms Bergstrom. He states, “They are the chance for a new start, the end of a long winter. The reasons are endless as to why to plant bulbs, but their beauty is key, knowing that 3 weeks of color isn’t long generally speaking, but the show is fantastic.” So what are the secrets to having a chance at tip-toeing through a triumphant tulip bed? Bergstrom says, “I think the soil preparation is paramount to having success with bulbs. Some bone meal at planting will ensure they get off to a good start. Having bulbs ‘rebloom’ the following season requires allowing the plants to fully dieback on their own accord. Fertilization with a balanced slow release fertilizer will assist the bulb in regaining its size. This process often means that the early spring annual color has to wait for the regeneration process to complete.”

But what of those pesky animals that seem to be foraging through the yard creating holes and bumpy lawns and virtually disassembling the garden of our dreams? Bergstrom suggests, “There are a few ways to keep unwanted ‘critters’ from disturbing freshly planted bulbs, but a good way is to place wire above the bulbs to prevent digging. The bulbs will grow through the wire unscathed.” And the critters will hopefully scurry to another unsuspecting gardener’s bed.

Design

So, the animals are at bay, the beds have been perfectly prepared…now what? Design, a well-intended garden still can be a confusing array of a patch of color here a singular plant there, while it is lovely to have the plants to begin with sometimes the blueprint of your sowing scheme is of even more importance than the plants themselves. Bergstrom enlightens us, “Design schemes are unlimited but masses of the same thing are what I love. For instance, orange tulips planted with purple en masse are a great color combination. Waves of red contrasting with yellow are awesome. Too often people feel the need to plant many types of bulbs together which while pleasing to some tends to lose impact from a distance. This is not to say that it’s wrong, just simply my opinion. Keep in mind that varieties change all the time and improvements happen. Look for bulbs that say ‘early, mid or late’, to extend your spring color.”

Storing Bulbs

I do like to at least attempt to store some of my tropical bulbs every winter, in my case it seems as if a few make it and I lose a few but I do find it fun to tinker with the idea of over-wintering bulbs successfully. Maybe it is the notion that I am keeping something alive in a dormant state for later or that I don’t want to be wasteful or maybe I’m just thrifty. My success rate is only about 50% but that doesn’t seem to stop me from eluding myself that this year those sweet potato vines are going to make it! Bergstrom has some advice, “Tropical bulbs like dinner plate dahlias, cannas, colocasia, are best allowed to freeze lightly, allowing the foliage to be easily cut back. Then dig the remaining tuber or bulb and store it in an ‘onion sack’ this will prevent mold. Hang the onion sack in a cool dry place, but keep them from freezing.”

So, we know how to best store our bulbs, how to prepare the soil, a good solution to keeping little paws off our bounty. Here is a breakdown of what to do for each season in regards to having, keeping and storing healthy bulbs.

Fall/Winter-

• Get a photo of your spring garden, this way you can see where there are holes of bare places and plant some bulbs there.
• Spring bulbs need good drainage and sun. By placing some sharp gravel in the bottom of the holes, this will aid in keeping moisture from collecting around the bulb and rotting it plus it will deter moles and voles.
• Never plant bulbs under a gutter spout!
• Plant bulbs after the first hard frost and don’t winter mulch until the ground is sufficiently frozen.
• Feed your bulbs with a 10-10-10 fertilizer as you are planting new bulbs; scratch the fertilizer into the top two inches of soil.

Spring-

• Remove all but 2 inches of the winter mulch from your bulbs.
• Rabbits love tulip leaves, especially just sprouting ones. Try mixing 1 tsp. cayenne pepper and ½ tsp. of a mild dish soap into a quart of water and spray the foliage. Reapply after rain storms.
• Enjoy the colorful show!

Summer-

• Time to cut the flower stems and seed heads but let the leaves be. These green leaves are nourishing the bulbs giving them strength for next year.
• Try marking the areas with a little something to indicate that bulbs are planted there so you don’t inadvertently dig them up.
• Hostas are a good companion plant with bulbs because they don’t require too much water either and their large leaves can camouflage the uglier leaves of the fading bulb.

Other Reading:

www.dutchbulbs.com