Bulb Planting Tips

You know, we live in one of the very best bulb growing regions in the world. And now’s the time to plant your tulips, daffodils, crocus, and other spring-flowering bulbs. That’s because they need to go through the cool winter when ground temperatures drop below 50 degrees in order for their flowers to properly "vernalize", or set themselves up to bloom. Let me give you a few important planting tips.

First, take the time to properly prepare your soil by digging your bulb beds down about 8". Then enrich your fill dirt with compost and sand. That ensures the soil’s nice and loose, giving your bulbs plenty of good drainage so they don’t rot in pools of water from heavy winter rains.

Next, plant according to a plan… Have something in mind, or better yet on paper, that shows where you want mass plantings of each color and variety. Mass plantings in round or curved shapes create the best color impact.

Some basic planting tips…

• Teardrop-shaped bulbs: These include Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinth. They should be planted with their tips facing up. If their tips face down, they waste their energy trying to grow in the opposite direction.
• Flat or "claw" bulbs: These include Iris. If there’s an obvious flat side, plant this side facing up. Plant all bulbs with appendages or roots facing down. If you’re unsure, plant it sideways.

Now in general, the planting depth of a bulb should be about triple its width…

• Hyacinth: 6-8"
• Tulips: 4-6"
• Daffodils: 3-4"
• Crocus: 0-2"
• Iris: Surface

You can play with planting depth and bloom time a bit by planting tulips in layers. The bottom layer’s about 6" deep and the top layer about 4". The deeper bulbs will grow fine. They’ll just bloom a little later than normal, extending the blooming season so you can enjoy that variety another 2-4 weeks! Try it.

A great time-saver is to finish off your bulb beds with a planting of pansies or mums… that way, you’re planting color to enjoy right now and next spring, all at the same time! See you out in the garden.

Click for tips on Planting Bulbs in Planters

While much of the information in these tips is applicable in several gardening zones/climates, some of the plants and timing suggested are best suited to the Northwest, generally in the mild/wet growing regions found along the I-5 corridor. You should make appropriate adjustments or consult local gardening experts in regions whose climates differ from this area of the Northwest.