Now is the best time to plant spring bulbs

  • By Steve Smith Special to The Herald
  • Monday, October 5, 2015 4:15pm
  • Life

I have fond memories of planting bulbs as a youngster.

First, Mom and I would go to the garden center and study all the amazing varieties. After making our decision and purchasing the bulbs, we would go home and lay the bulbs out in the beds in drifts.

Then, I would dig the holes, drop in a teaspoon of bone meal (to this day the smell of bone meal instantly transports me back to that time) and carefully insert the bulbs. Lastly, I woul cover them up and smooth out the ground, removing any evidence that we were ever there. I imagined that I was burying treasure to be found at a later time.

The anticipation was wonderful, but the best part was watching them emerge from the ground two months later. Each day after I came home from school, I would check out their progress to see how much they had grown and feel the stems for a bulge that was the flower yet to come. When they did finally bloom it was like Christmas morning all over again.

If you read the spring bulb article in last week’s Home &Garden section, you already know about the surprising variety of bulbs available to use in a garden. Dare yourself to try something different this year, as bulbs can be very exciting, contrary to what they might look like stuffed into a netted bag with a two-dimensional photo attached.

For more tips on planting bulbs, click here.

All it takes to enjoy bulbs is a little vision and a willingness to be patient. Most bulbs are perennials and will multiply and increase in size and spread every year so they are a good investment. Here are a few tips on planting bulbs:

Plant in clumps or drifts. Nothing looks dumber than a row of soldiers spaced out one foot apart along the edge of the garden bed.

Rarely do I plant a bulb one at a time. If I have a package of a dozen or so tulips I will dig a hole big enough to dump them all in together. It’s a whole lot faster and will look more naturalistic when they come up and bloom.

Planting depth is generally three times the diameter of the bulb. For most tulips, daffodils and hyacinth, I dig a hole 4 to 6 inches deep maximum. Any deeper and, in our heavy clay soils, they may rot over the winter. For little minor bulbs 1 to 2 inches is plenty deep.

Don’t stress over which end is up. The bulbs will figure out which direction to grow. If you have the time and want to point all their noses up toward the sky then go for it, but in the end it won’t make a difference. If you are not sure which end is up then plant them sideways.

Use bone meal. While bulbs contain everything they need to produce a bloom, they will always look better and bigger if you throw in some organic food at the time of planting. Bone meal has always been the traditional amendment to use but a balanced bulb food is good too.

Containers can be helpful. If you are short on space or have terrible soil try planting bulbs in containers. It’s quick and easy and when they start to die down you can remove the containers from sight.

October is the best month to plant bulbs and you can find a good selection now so don’t delay. Just remember to plant them once you get home.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

Bulb class

For an in-depth presentation on gardening with bulbs, attend a class at 10 a.m. Oct. 10 at Sunnyside Nursery. For more information, visit sunnysidenursery.net.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.