Store shelves are filling up with bulbs of flowering plants again.This is a sign that autumn has come, and with it it is time to plant spring bulbs.This is how we symbolically open the next season, disenchanting the gloomy autumn aura.
The bulbs can be simply picked. This guarantees very large arrangement possibilities, broken down by flowering time, color selection, habitat conditions, etc.
Bulb species can be planted under ornamental summer trees and shrubs (they have no leaves in early spring), in rockeries, balcony boxes and pots, on the lawn (leaving for naturalization). They work very well as filling perennial beds - thanks to them you can feel spring in the garden several weeks before its actual arrival.
Small-flowered sapphires, squirrels and canines are suitable for the low foreheads. Tulips and Kamasias can be planted on the other positions, deeper in the bed. Such height gradation is especially advisable when the plants are blooming at the same time.This is not the only rule that should be followed when arranging plantings.It is good to differentiate the flowering seasons, combining, for example, early varieties of crocuses and anemones with late-flowering tulips or decorative garlic.
Planting in groups is always a good solution. In order to obtain the desired effect, you need to plant at least 5 bulbs of the same variety (the same color) side by side, especially tulips, narcissus, crocuses and onion sets.In a larger garden this number should double at least.
Bulbs can grow in almost any soil as long as it is permeable enough to allow good drainage of excess water.Heavy soils should be loosened by adding compost or manure.The onions are planted heel down to a depth approximately three times their height.
Proven ground cover plants for spring garden
Bulbs can be combined into interesting plantings with other ornamental plants, including from the ground cover group.
1. Pulmonaria grows early in the year, already in March, quite successfully filling the gaps between tulips and narcissus.Characteristic of pulmonaria are white-flecked leaves and pink flowers.
2. The common periwinkle 'Alba' with white flowers and evergreen leaves is an interesting background for small small-flowered sapphires.
3. Bergenia sercolistna 'Ouverture' is a hardy variety with usually always green, oval, leathery leaves.They keep their reddish color in autumn and winter.
4. A hybrid variety of the daffodil 'Caramel' with sandy leaves that turn pale pink with time, as a companion of the ever fashionable narcissus.
Planting and caring for bulbous plants
Here are some practical tips on how to make it easier to plant tulip bulbs, daffodils and crocus bulbs, as well as how to get pretty flower bed arrangements and colorful pot arrangements.
Flower bulb overview
clockwise:
1. Tulipa botanical tulips require full sun, they bloom from March to May.
2. Scilla bulbs cope with both sun and partial shade, bloom from March to April.
3. Leucojum snowstorms prefer shady locations and moist soil, they bloom from January to March.
4. Muscari sapphires like full sun, but when grown in a pot, they can also stay in the shade, they bloom from April to May.
5. Crocus crocuses need a lot of sun, they bloom from March to April.
6. Hyacinthoides grow well in partial shade under shrubs, they bloom in May.
7. Narcissus narcissus have sunny and semi-shaded positions, the flowering period extends, depending on the variety, from February to May.
8. Onion Iris Kosaćce like full sun and well-drained soil, they bloom in February and March.
9. Galanthus snowdrops can grow in sunny and slightly shaded places, and the soil should not dry out completely, they bloom from February to March.
10. Garden tulips only succeed in full sun, depending on the variety, they bloom between March and May.
Spatula or pickle for planting onions?
The very planting of flower bulbs should be a pleasure.Therefore, it is worth thinking about the right tools - especially when we have many bulbs to plant.
If we are lucky that the soil in the garden is loose and stone-free, then we can successfully use a handheld spatula or a classic onion planter, which is 6 cm in diameter and 12 cm high, so it is large enough for planting most flower bulbs.Its advantage is that it immediately extracts soil from the hole. A variation of the wrought iron planter also pulls the soil to the top.Thanks to its solidity, it facilitates work on both light and heavy soil.
In the case of very dense soil, it is worth using a long-handled planter, which you dig into the ground with your foot. The long-shank pickaxe makes it easier to make dimples for the onion thanks to its length and sharp metal tip.It will be useful especially on rocky soils.
On a colorful meadow …
If we want our lawn to bloom with different colors, we can achieve it in two ways: To plant crocuses, small-flowered narcissi, sapphires or snowdrops in clumps, cut a piece of turf with a spade, lift it and remove the soil layer depending on the planned depth planting bulbs. Then arrange the bulbs at intervals (according to the instructions on the package), cover with soil, put back a fragment of the turf and tread it firmly.
At the end, we water abundantly so that the bulbs come into contact with the soil. Free plantings on the lawn, for example crocuses, wild tulips, white daffodils or checkerboard patterns, look very nice.The lawns that bloom in spring will look natural if we pick up the bulbs in our hands and spread them loosely on the surface during planting time and then bury the ground where they fell.Also with this method, the lawn needs to be well irrigated.
Protection of onions against voles
Tulips are, unfortunately, one of the great delicacies of voles.Who expects pests in their garden, should take care of the proper protection of the bulbs. Since voracious rodents approach the food from the bottom, self-made baskets made of net against hares (mesh size 12-14 mm) can be such protection.
Wire baskets should be high enough to reach almost the very surface of the soil. Where the ends of the cut mesh encourage squeezing through, you can additionally make a wire closure. Let's not forget about the gloves, because the metal mesh easily hurts the skin.
A mix of varieties, that's it!
If a pot with only red tulips or yellow narcissuses seems too monotonous to us, we can try a mixed cast. It is only important to pay attention to the planting depth of each species and to choose a large pot.In practice, this means that in the case of a white composition, we plant
first the tulips in the vessel, cover them with soil and then plant the sapphires.
Important: leave a free space for grass between the bulbs, because the bulbs underneath them would not release any leaves.Alternatively, you can also use unnecessary tea wrappers or other divided boxes to create an arrangement of various spring flowers
Create fancy flower designs
In Keukenhof in the Netherlands, thousands of onions are planted in the fall in decorative ribbons and various patterns.A similar effect can also be achieved on a smaller scale. To do this, first you need to mark the desired pattern on the ground with sand or draw with a stick, then place the appropriate bulbs and only finally sink them into the soil.
As a general rule, the depth of the well should be equal to three bulb diameters.It is worth remembering that when planting, it is best to work from the back to the front, or from the center to the perimeter of the bed.
