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Spring bulbs are among the first flowers of the year. They’re the tulips, snowdrops, and crocuses that emerge when everything else is brown, and the hyacinths, daffodils, and others that bloom later in the spring. If you want these beauties in your garden next season, the trick is to plant them in the fall. Here’s everything you need to know about planting fall bulbs for spring blossoms!
As the snow recedes, and even before the trees leaf out, the first early spring bulbs begin to open, feeding the awakening bees and letting us know that spring has arrived. Their display is often intense and brief, but each bulb has a different bloom time. If we plan accordingly, we can enjoy a succession of flowers throughout the spring, even in the very same spot. Since each root is the size of a small onion, we can easily tuck them around other plants to enjoy their blooms as our other perennials fill out. [/fusion_text][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]
Planting bulbs is like painting a picture and planning a performance all at once. You can choose what colors you want and who will be on the stage at each time. Ideally, you want to avoid having an empty stage and instead choose flowers to perform through every act of the spring. Here is a bloom chart of the most common bulbs to help you cast your roles!
Crocus: Known as one of the first performers of the year, these small lavender flowers have a yellow center and rise 5 inches tall. They’re an important early food source for pollinators. Snowdrops: Rising 6-12 inches, they’re named both for their early blooms and nodding white flowers. Early Tulips: As some of the most sought after spring stars, the word “tulip” is often synonymous with spring. Check out their range of hot colors and pastel shades, ranging from 8-30 inches tall.
Daffodils: Could there be a more classic flower than the daffodil? They’re also called narcissus, a name that reflects their dramatic, trumpet-like blooms! Fritillaria: Larger than other bulbs, their exuberant orange flowers hang like colorful bells in the garden. Mid-Spring Tulips: The world of tulips is immense. There are thousands of varieties, bred for different bloom times through the season, as well as a sensational range of shapes and colors.Hyacinths: These fragrant, old-fashioned bloomers display shiny columns of mauve, pink, maroon, and white florets. Grape Hyacinths: An adorable fragrant flower that shows off beautiful globes of indigo, white or blue blooms that resemble bunches of grapes.
Late Daffodils and Late Tulips: You can find daffodils and tulips for every sub-season of spring. Daffodils often appear in many hues of yellow and white, while tulips come in reds, purples, yellows, and pinks. Alliums: These ornamental onions offer rare shades of blue to your garden as well as unique, spherical flower heads.
Spring bulbs need a cold period underground over the winter before they germinate the following season. It’s best to plant them when the temperatures start hovering around 40-50 degrees or six weeks before you expect the ground to freeze.
Like many plants, bulbs like well-draining, rich soil. Feel free to mix in plenty of compost before you plant! Once the soil is ready, plant them as deep as 2-3 times the bulb’s length with the pointy end up. They don’t require much space laterally, but most bulbs do best when spaced 4-6 inches apart. After you’ve covered them with soil, give them a good drink. When choosing a location, make sure they’ll receive enough light in the spring. Six hours per day is the minimum for an area to be considered “full-sun.” Remember to mark their location in your garden journal, so you don’t accidentally dig them up next year!
Some gardeners layer bulbs into the ground with a technique known as “lasagna layering.” With this method, you typically bury the later bloomers on the bottom and the earlier flowers on top. By the time the early ones are fading, more flowers rise from below to refresh the scene. The deeper bulbs don’t mind if there is a neighbor on top of them; they easily navigate it around it and find their way to the light. The lasagna technique also works well in containers. Planting fall bulbs for spring blooms is a simple way to add brilliant colors to your garden. Feel free to visit our garden centers in Northwest Arkansas to see our full selection!
