Planting Bulbs - 4 Tips To Help Guarantee Success

By planting bulbs in your garden, you can dramatically increase the overall beauty and color of your design. Bulbs are extremely compact and do not require much space of all. And equally important, they do not greedily drain the nutrients that your perennials and other flowers need to sustain their own growth. You can plant them right in between your perennials or even underneath them and each will grow successfully.

Although you can plant your bulbs individually, a much easier way is to plant multiple bulbs inside a single hole. When it comes to bulb spacing, be sure to keep a few inches between each "hole". If the bulbs you're planting are all the same size, then you can easily throw them into one large hole. However, if you're planting some that vary in size, then it is best to plant the bulbs in layers by placing the smaller ones directly overhead of the larger bulbs.

A few quick tips when planting bulbs:

1. Many new gardeners make the mistake of not planting enough bulbs as well as not planting them in groups. Since most bulbs only produce a few flowers at a time, sometimes only one, it is best to arrange them in groups.

2. When it comes to planting large bulbs, such as lilies for example, it is best to plant at least 4 bulbs together at one time.

3. For the best overall appearance when planting daffodils, tall tulips, and hyacinths, it is ideal when you plant them in groups of five to eight. You can add a bit more but try to stay below ten of these types of bulbs in one group because it will be overcrowded and form too much of a cluster.

4. When it comes to very small bulbs that create flowers under 12 inches, you should plant them in large numbers in order to make an impact. Twenty-five at one time should be considered the bare minimum. However, be sure not to go over 80 or 90 bulbs. This can create a bit of cramping and prevent many from blooming.