Tulip petals are beginning to curl back, exposing their bright yellow centers. The vegetable garden is just starting to sprout…tiny radish and spinach leaves pushing their way into the cool spring air. It’s not cold, but it’s not warm either. It’s sweatshirt weather. Layers. As our springtime fling of colorful daffodils and sweet smelling grape hyacinth fades, we gardeners think about planting for the next season of color.
There are two seasons of bulbs (three if you count fall) – those you plant in the fall that bloom in the spring and those you plant in the spring that bloom in the summer. They are named by when they bloom, so spring bulbs and summer bulbs. The number four comes into play with the “types” of bulbs. The name refers to more than just your traditional bulb with a fat bottom and pointy top. There are bulbs, corms, tuberous roots, and rhizomes. But for now, we’re going to think of them all as bulbs.
Choosing the right bulb for your yard mostly comes down to location. All bulbs prefer at least six hours of fun sun to show off their blooms. And all bulbs want somewhat loose soil and good drainage. No wet feet for these guys. So once you’ve determined where you want to plant, the fun decisions of what to plant arrives.
All summer bulbs are considered “tender,” which means they generally can’t make it through the winter in the ground. There are a couple, like cannas and crocosmia, that can sometimes survive, but everyone else will need to be dug up or replaced the next season. Some of the most notable summer bloomers include gladiolus – an upright stalk with a cluster of blossoms on the top six or seven inches, dahlias – dark green leaves and large tight blooms that can reach the size of dinner plates, and calla lilies – long thick leaves that unfurl to reveal a cup-like blossom. Freesia, hardy begonias, colocasia, agapanthus, and a huge variety of lilies are all summer bloomers. Since they all prefer the same conditions, there’s no reason not to combine them in the same garden bed. You could mix them all up with a lily here and a begonia there, but you’ll get a bit more pizzazz if you cluster your bulbs in groups of at least ten.
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Planting is pretty straight-forward. Loosen the soil at least six inches (but twelve is better). Mix a little bone meal into the soil just below the surface for a slow-release fertilizer and then place each bulb with the fat bottom down and the pointy top up. A good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs about two to three times as deep as the bulb is tall. For larger bulbs, that’s going to be around six inches and for smaller varieties you might be as shallow as three inches. Even when you cluster the same type of bulb together, still make sure to leave at least twice the bulb’s width apart. Once the bulb is put in place, backfill the hole with soil. Water them in and then leave them alone. Summer bulbs don’t need any help from your garden hose until they sprout in July, August, or September. When you start to see budding, give the bulbs a little boost of balanced fertilizer to help with flowering.
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At this point, you can dig up your bulbs and bring them inside for the winter or you can cover them with a deep mulch and hope they make it through. Different types of bulbs need different care for storage, from simple wrapping, to curing and cocooning. A little research will give you the best idea how to overwinter your bulbs.
When photos and memories are all that’s left of the tremendous flowers we enjoyed in the late summer is all that we have left (and maybe some bulbs wrapped carefully in newspaper in a cardboard box in the garage), we can sit by the fire and dream up plans for our new spring bulb garden. Because with these guys, there’s always something to plant.
Robyn Rogers, the author of this blog is located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington and her advice is consistent with the climate there. Her opinions of what works for her garden and backyard. Always read labels of products before using them. Your Wilco team is available if you have any questions specific to your area.
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