The optimal time to plant bulbs is when soil temperatures reach around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. For those of us who aren't in the habit of sticking a thermometer in the soil to determine temperature, for the Charlotte area, that is usually in the late October/early November timeframe when the average night temperatures drop to around 50 degrees for a sustained period of 2 weeks or so.) If you're planting in a prepped flower bed, pocket planting is as simple as digging a small hole and inserting the bulb to the CORRECT DEPTH. Notice that correct depth is in capitals. It's important. Not planting your bulbs deep enough can cause your flowers to bloom too early. Planting the bulbs too deep may prevent them from coming up at all. The bulbs you buy should have planting instructions on the package. Just follow the directions. If you want to plant bulbs in an area where the soil hasn't been prepped, your bulbs may grow, but it's not ideal. You may want to follow the bed prep tips at: http://aatexlawn.blogspot.com/2011/05/planting-annual-flower-beds.html
Things to remember:
- Fertilize at installation.
- Water at installation but after that, the bulbs really take care of themselves barring any extreme rain conditions.
- As I mentioned before, depth is important. Follow the planting instructions or ask your nursery.
- Plant bulbs at the back of winter pansy and viola beds to provide height in the spring.
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| Hyacinths |
When we plant bulbs for our clients, we treat them as annual flowers. We pull them before we till the soil to prep it for the summer annual flower installation. Although some varieties are perennial, in a commercial environment, it's hard to guarantee the same results year after year. When planting at your home, though, if the variety you choose is a perennial you'll want to deadhead the flowers (you can just take scissors or hand pruners and remove the flower organs after flower petals fade or fall off) but need to leave the foliage until it turns brown or 6 weeks after blooming – so that the bulb gets the nutrients it needs for the next growing season. For that reason, you may want to overplant with summer annuals in the spring to camouflage the foliage of your bulbs as the leaves start to turn brown.
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| Daffodils in pansy bed |
As to what to plant, there are a lot of different choices. When we plant tulips for our clients, we like to use varieties that bloom at different times (some will bloom earlier in the spring, whereas other varieties flower later in the spring.) Since these wonderful flowers can be short-lived, planting different varieties will allow you to enjoy the blooms for longer.
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| Tulips in pansy bed |
With all the choices available, you can really give yourself a beautiful spring landscape. What a way to welcome the warmer weather! But as we enjoy the fall showing, it's the time to think ahead to give yourself a beautiful spring treat. We love bulbs. Let us know if we can help.
Thanks,
The AA Tex Lawn Team
