Planting Bulbs in the Fall for Spring Show

Spring Show

Do you feel like your garden is overflowing with shrubs, herbs, and other green plants, and you’re bored with it?

When Spring rolls around do you look around and wish you had planted tulips back in the fall?

Well then, planting flowering and other bulbs are the transformation that your garden needs. Everything looks better in color, and planting bulbs in your garden will add that "wow" element.

Planting Bulbs In Fall

Planting bulbs in the fall season is the right way to do it.

It is essential to plant bulbs in the fall season if you want a spring bloom, because spring bulbs need time under the ground, to grow properly.

How to Plant in the Fall

Trenching Method

is an efficient planting technique when it comes to planting bulbs. You can plant different bulbs of colorful shades with the help of this technique.

Individual Holes Method

For this method you can use a hand shovel, auger, or a planting tool called a ProPlugger. The ProPlugger is what I use for individual holes.

1-Bulb Selection

Select the bulbs that you want in your garden. Tulips are the most popular, but there are daffodils, hyacinths, alliums, and crocus. Besides the variety of colors, pay attention to when they bloom. Bulbs bloom either early, mid, or late spring. Next, check on height; some bulbs can reach 24” tall!

2-When to Plant

Plant your bulbs 6-8 weeks before a hard ground freeze. Bulbs need some time to establish before winter sets in. Try to avoid planting too early so you don’t have to deal with pests and disease. Find a full sun location, and begin planting!

3-Digging the Hole

Each bulb will have specific instructions on depth and spacing. Tulips like 5'“ deep and 4” spacing. Alliums prefer to be a little deeper at 7”; it is a bigger bulb. The bigger bulbs, need deeper holes! Place the bulbs in the hole with the pointy side up. On daffodils, the roots are obvious and go down!

4-Bone Meal

The bone meal fertilizer will help your bulbs grow and bloom in the later on stages. The trick here is to spread bone meal, cover it with a layer of soil and then place the bulbs so that the roots can use this fertilizer.

5-Finish Up

Finish up by covering the trench or holes with soil and water right after you plant. Try not to oversaturate your bulbs, they don’t like wet feet! If you’re like me, add some pansies, violas, or panolas on tops of those tulips. This way your beds never look bare!