Plant tulips, daffodils, crocus and other bulbs soon to ensure spring blooms. Photo courtesy bulb.com
Over the last several weeks, several boxes of spring bulbs have arrived on Indiana gardeners’ doorsteps.
Tulips, daffodil, crocus, hyacinth, snowdrops and more are ready to be tucked into the soil as an act of hope for spring.
Bulbs need several weeks of cold weather to trigger their blooming mechanism. And they need four to six weeks to develop their root system before the ground freezes, so plant them in the next couple of weeks.
Digging may be more difficult for many of us this year because of the lack of rain. To ease the job, soak the planting area before digging.
Here are a few more tips:
- Select a sunny spot. If your landscape is shady, plant early to mid-season blooming bulbs. Plant bulbs in clusters of three or more for the best show.
- Plant bulbs two to three times deeper than they are tall. If the bulb is 2 inches tall, plant it 4 to 6 inches deep. Bulb is a general term for true bulbs, such as tulips, lilies and daffodils, and corm, which describes crocus. Plant bulbs pointy end up and corms with the flat side down.
- Bulbs are fully packed with the food they need to bloom in spring. Fertilize them in spring as the leaf tips start to break ground.
- Water the bulbs after planting, and mulch.
Garlic: a savory bulb
Now is also good time to plant another type of bulb, garlic. Purchase a bulb or cloves from a garden center, on-line retailer or mail order catalog. Don’t use garlic from a grocery because it has been treated with a growth retardant.
Plant each clove 2 to 3 inches deep in a sunny spot with well-drained, organically rich soil. Water and apply thick layer of mulch. Harvest garlic next summer when the tops turn yellow.
