Bulb bounty: Plants that naturally know how to return and multiply

Planting spring-blooming bulbs is a fall ritual, an optimistic act, looking ahead to the growing season.

But what if you didn’t have to plant those little guys every year? What if you could still enjoy their beauty without the work?

It sounds too good to be true, but — if you choose the right varieties — it’s not.

Bulbs that “naturalize” behave like perennials: They come back every year and they propagate themselves again and again to eventually create large, informal, natural-looking swaths of flowers and foliage.

“I love naturalizing bulbs,” said Susan Jackson of Mukilteo, a Snohomish County master gardener. “I really think they are the biggest bang for your buck garden wise.”

If you’ve ever been to England or seen pictures of the sprawling parks there, you’ve seen the beauty of naturalized daffodils.

Many varieties of daffodils, which are often called narcissus, are excellent at self-propagation.

Common varieties of crocus, grape hyacinths, bluebells (hyacinthoides) and snowdrops (galanthus nivalis) are also great naturalizers.

Even certain tulips, which typically peter out after a single season, can naturalize.

Jeannette DeGoede, who runs Tulip Town in Skagit County with her husband, Anthony, said most tulips, especially the elaborate and showy varieties, are one-season wonders.

Some, however, are bona fide perennials. She remembers planting a common variety in her parents’ yard as a surprise.

“Nine years later, they were still blooming each April,” DeGoede said, adding that those bulbs had perfect growing conditions. “That’s really important, that people understand that.”

DeGoede recommends planting tulips near deciduous trees, not conifers, because they dislike the acidic soils that surround evergreens. She also recommends excellent drainage and morning sun followed by late-day shade for tulips, which don’t like to bake on the occasional hot spring day.

Most important, however, gardeners must choose the right varieties when trying to naturalize.

Species tulip varieties such as Apricot Jewel, Bright Gem and Bronze Charm are known naturalizers.

Other varieties of tulips won’t typically propagate themselves, but they will come back for four or five years, or “perennialize,” DeGoede said.

She said the most notable varieties are the popular Darwin hybrid varieties including Ad Rem, American Dream, Anthony’s Flame, Gordon Cooper, Gudoshnik, Judith Leyster and the Apeldoorne and Impression series, including the well-known Red Apeldoorn and Pink Impression, for example.

“They’re your standard, old, classic tulips,” DeGoede said. “If you’re going to buy for longevity, you’re going to want to go into those varieties.”

Another tip for naturalizing and perennializing bulbs successfully is to leave the foliage untouched after the plants flower in the spring.

Keep the green leaves exposed to the sun until they yellow or simply wait until six weeks after blooming before cutting them back to the ground.

“You want to let their foliage completely wither back because that’s how the plant stores energy in the bulbs for the following year,” Jackson said, adding that she likes to interplant her naturalizing bulbs with spring and summer perennials such as hardy geraniums, echinacea and asters to camouflage the spent leaves.

Jackson also recommends deadheading tulip and daffodil bulb flowers when they’ve past their prime so they plant doesn’t put energy into making seeds and instead directs it back into the bulbs below ground.

Though most bulbs that self-propagate aren’t invasive, some are better behaved than others.

Spanish bluebells (hyacinthoides hispanica), though pretty, can become a bona fide nuisance in the garden if they aren’t welcome.

Naturalizing, of course, takes a while. As with perennials, you’ll have to wait a couple of years for things to take off. You’ll be saving some dough, however, with your patience.

“Some people think, ‘I can’t buy bulbs. It’s expensive,’” Jackson said. “But you only need to buy a few because they will gradually increase over time.”

RESOURCES

How to plant for naturalizing: Read step-by-step instructions for creating a planting of naturalizing bulbs from Fine Gardening magazine: Go to www.taunton.com/finegardening. Search for “naturalize.”

More varieties: See a complete list of naturalizing bulbs at www.almanac.com/garden/bulbs/naturalizing.php.

All about bulbs: Learn everything you ever wanted to know about gardening with bulbs at www.bulb.com. Seriously.

Mail order: Online sources for bulbs that naturalize include www.vanengelen.com, www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com and www.tuliptown.com.

WHAT TO PLANT NOW

Now is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. Get them in the ground by no later than Dec. 1.

Here’s a sampling of plants that will naturalize in your yard, courtesy of Richie Steffens, curator for the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden, home of the Great Plant Picks program.