Bulb-planting design tips and inspiration from the Keukenhof gardens

How do I arrange my garden bulbs?
Do you plant tulip bulbs point up or down?
Which way should bulbs be planted?
How do you prepare bulbs for planting?
What happens if you plant bulbs in the spring?
How do you plant a bulb garden that blooms all year?
What happens if you plant bulbs upside down?
What is the best time to plant tulip bulbs?
Can I plant tulips in the spring?
What happens if you plant bulbs too shallow?
Should you soak bulbs before planting?
Which bulbs can I plant now?

How do I arrange my garden bulbs?

Most bulbs are somewhat flat on the bottom and pointy at the top. Place the bulbs with the pointy side up, and position the bulbs so that daffodil bulbs are 4 to 6 inches apart and tulips are 3 to 6 inches apart. Smaller bulbs, like crocus bulbs, can be planted 2 inches apart.

Do you plant tulip bulbs point up or down?

As a general rule, plant big bulbs about 8" deep and small bulbs about 5" deep. Set the bulb in the hole pointy side up or the roots down. It's easy to spot the pointy end of a tulip, and tougher with a crocus.

Which way should bulbs be planted?

Which way up should bulbs be planted? Always plant bulbs with the pointed growing tip facing upwards. If it isn't clear which is the top then try planting bulbs on their side. Some tuberous plants such as Begonias will be flatter than bulbs and don't have an obvious growing point.

How do you prepare bulbs for planting?

HOW TO PLANT BULBS

Determine the planting depth for the type of bulb you're planting. ...
Prepare the soil by loosening and mixing in organic material if needed for added nutrients or to improve drainage. ...
Place the bulbs with the pointy-end up and with the roots down. ...
Cover with soil and a light layer of mulch.

What happens if you plant bulbs in the spring?

Waiting until spring to plant the bulbs will not satisfy these requirements, so spring-planted bulbs will likely not bloom this year. ... The bulbs likely won't bloom this spring, but they may bloom later in the summer, out of their normal sequence, or they may just wait until next year to bloom at the normal time.

How do you plant a bulb garden that blooms all year?

Plant fall-blooming bulbs in late winter and early spring.

Determine the light requirements for the specific bulb type. ...
Clear the garden bed of weeds. ...
Dig the organic material into the top 8 inches of the soil using a tiller or a garden fork. ...
Place the bulbs on the soil in the formation you want them to grow in.

What happens if you plant bulbs upside down?

It will still grow, even if it's upside-down, although the plant will be unnecessarily stressed and may eventually die if left upside-down. You can always dig up the bulb after it has finished flowering to see which side the leaves have emerged from (that's the top of the bulb).

What is the best time to plant tulip bulbs?

Tulip bulbs should be planted in the fall. The soil needs to have cooled off from the summer growing season before you plant, which could mean September in cold climates (zones 3 to 5), October in transitional climates (zones 6 to 7), and November or December in warm climates (zones 8 to 9).

Can I plant tulips in the spring?

Tulips are planted in the fall to make way for beautiful blooms come spring. ... If there are a few more weeks of chilly weather, then the tulip may just bloom. Otherwise, you can refrigerate them as long as needed, then plant them a bit later in the spring for late blooms.

What happens if you plant bulbs too shallow?

To plant flower bulbs too shallow can expose them to damaging temperature spiking. Planting flower bulbs too close together can cause root systems to strangle each other or cause them to dehydrate or starve due to limited water and nutrition.

Should you soak bulbs before planting?

The following tips will help you grow healthy, beautiful flowers. Soak fall-planted bulbs for 12 hours in warm water before planting. ... Soaking allows suitable bulbs to absorb enough water to begin growth immediately, saving two or three weeks of time.

Which bulbs can I plant now?

When to plant bulbs

Plant spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, crocus and hyacinths, preferably by the end of September.
Plant tulips in November.
Plant hardy summer-flowering bulbs, such as lilies, alliums and crocosmia, in September and October.