Bulb planting 101. Where to start.

Snowdrop bulbs can be difficult if you buy bulbs that have been out of the ground and been sitting in say a warm garden centre/supermarket for months. In my opinion the only advantage of buying Snowdrops "in the green" is it proves the bulbs are fresh. I have I don't know how many and have sold them for the charities I support for quite a few years now, mainly "in the green". I have moved Snowdrops at all times of the year and they move fine as long as the bulbs remain nice and damp. Regarding depth of planting they really really don't mind! I've got ones which are all but above ground and others which have some how got buried about a foot under soil. I think it is the amount of moisture you have during their growing season which is much more important. I have clumps under an enormous Lime which flower very well despite it being as dry as a bone in the area while the Lime is in leaf. It is then reasonably damp from end of October until May which suits Snowdrops fine so they cope really well under deciduous trees.
Re Fritillaries, I can't grow them here as it is too dry/well drained. My friend has a farm called Bogbank.......the clue is in the name!!!!. The ground on the farm is worse than hideous and supports many large ponds in the winter (liked by all sorts of wildfowl so not all bad). An area near the house is incredibly wet and shaded by huge tress. What grows absolutely beautifully in this area where b all else grows? yup Fritillaria meleagris. I wouldn't have believed my eyes if I hadn't seen them for myself. It would appear they are verging on the aquatic.

 

Wow. lifting the bulb to keep till winter, what a chore. The green part of the plant --after it flowers--is what feeds the bulb for the next spring showing, so you got to keep the green on. When I thin my bulbs, the green is still on, and immediately placed in the next hole. Thinning is not done right away, we initially planted our bulbs with a good distance between each so it took about 7 years before we had to start thinning. they do make babies.

So---I am thinking about you guys with your wet soil and how you have to lift them. How about planting them in a deep plastic pot, then plant the pot in the soil. Easier to lift the pot, and then still keep the green on, and the bulb can get the nutrients from the soil also.

I cannot imagine doing that chore each year. Mine just stay in the ground, some have been there for 26 years and still come up.

 

The snowdrops I dug out when I decluttered my front bed I put in a pot full of compost. When I went pack to the pot earlier this week they were all taking root. I planted out some and put the rest back in the pot. I am hoping I will be in a position to plant out some more before the bad weather sets in.

G.

 

I have some tulip bulbs I bought from the garden centre. They already have good strong leaves shooting. Presumably I still have to plant the bulbs 6” or so under the soil. This means burying the leaves too. This feels wrong but please confirm that’s how it is? Thanks.

G.

 

past fall I put in one area three types of purple ball alliums of similar height, but they each bloom one week apart, so will have continued fresh purple ball blooms for a good month. Looking forward to them. I also added a bunch more star gazers, wanted more scent.

 

What soil do you have? If clay they would prefer to be in deep pots, as they need free draining

 

It’s done now. The tulips came in a pack of six plug trays - 3 bulbs per plug. I used 2 in mums rose tub. I now have 2 in my rockery and the remaining 2 I mixed in with the remainder of the triteliea bulbs and potted them in a builders bucket. All my other tulips are shooting nicely so there is no reason why these should be any different.

G.

 

No, dont bury the leaves Gary.
I have tulips ......3 in several 3 litre pots.....with foliage at least 15 to 20 cm. They have been " hardened off" by being outside for several weeks now and, therefore, can be planted out. They are deep in their pots and will be planted in the garden at the same depth.
I rarely plant tulips, lilies, whatever, direct into the ground now preferring to plant in pots first ...three reasons for this: I can plant them exactly where I want them to be in spring; they can be protected under fleece, cloches, gh, etc., when first potted up. I know exactly where they are and wont be inadvertently dug up
Because some tulips do not come back the following year I dig them up after foliage has died down and keep dry until the autumn.

 

found three snowdrops that popped over to another area, have to go get them. the wind much have took the seed.

 

Last Autumn I remember various members discussing fritillary bulbs. Today I saw these in the garden centre.



Now they are in bloom, I can see how they look. This one seems to be a different variety to the popular one.

I am thinking ahead to Autumn. They work well in long grassy areas. I thought they might go in the verge along the hedge in small groups amongst the lamiums.

Q1 would that work?
Q2 How many bulbs would you need to cluster to make a decent display?
Q3 I vaguely recall a comment about them being invasive. IS that true?


G.

 

Always plant in groups of odd numbers....min of 3.
Not found them invasive at all
A good "bed" for them is corydalis flexuosa. This is evergreen over winter and produces blue flowers in spring and early summer. Good for supporting almost any bulb ....with the exception of daffodils whose foliage is a tad overwhelming

 

Put in 100 of these this past fall. so know them well. they are not very tall, not sure why they are in those pots up there, or maybe its just the pic. anyway, only had put maybe 20 in 10 years ago and they did not multiply much in those years---so that answers your Q3 question. my 100 are put in an area of ruffly 7 foot in half moon area, so that should give me the cluster look I want and that answers your Q2 . Mine are not in a grassy area, but within structured garden as they are small heads and are the height of hardy forget me knotts, or a little shorter than Virginia blue bells. hope that answers your forr Q1.

 

Following on from the above. Today I've been reading about crocus speciosus. I would be looking for a similar effect ie. Growing through the gaps I my lamiums. Any thoughts on this or alternatives? It says they neutralise easily. Would they be too aggressive for what I'm looking for?

G.

 

Although I am not overly keen on crocus they would suit your purpose. Lamiums will fill in to make thick carpets but crocus will simply grow through them.
Neither of them make good bedfellows for other plants though

 

Not aggressive at all. my neighbor put a bunch in of the naturalized type about 6 years ago, and they are still lean. Some of the ones I put in, in my own property are more drifts in selected locations, which look like carpets flung out in that area, but they stay close to the initial location. I am able to do this as our grass does not come up and ready for the first cut until mid-May. so they are up and flowered prior to that (maybe that helps) . so there is no among the grass, as they are done when the grass is up. I live in a rather shaded area, the trees are not fully leafed for a while which helps the crocus in the early spring. What happens is as they die out they drop their seeds, and if you cut your grass before the seeds can embed themselves then your lawn mower is throwing seeds around. mine have time to stationary embed their seeds before I start the mower.