bulb planting hardware and interplanting questions

Hi -

I'm planning to order some fall bulbs from John Scheepers, but for starters I will probably get 150 or so (this might increase a lot after I start clicking through the site!). I will be getting mainly narcissi and tulips, as well as a few hyacinths and probably some scilla and muscari for underplanting.

My questions are:

1. Do those step-on bulb planters work? I saw one at Home Depot. Our soil is decent but doesn't necessarily totally stick together; I was wondering if this would be a good buy. It seemed to me that a long bulb trowel might hurt my back!

2. If I want to combine different kinds of bulbs that flower at different times, is it best to give the full recommended distance between all of them, or can I plant a little closer? Obviously it is different from perennials. I just thought that if I am putting some narcissi that will grow taller than the muscari, I don't want it to look like there are big holes in the muscari patch if there aren't any for 6" around the narcissus.

Thanks!

This message was edited Aug 12, 2007 6:53 PM

didn't work for me. i think a shovel would work better. tiller is easiest.
yes i would plant bulbs closer than they say that is a good idea. you are right otherwise there is holes

Dibbers and augers are for planting bulbs. Augers do not like sod.
These fall blooming croci MUST be interplanted as flowers may appear before leaves and need support of other plants:
C. autranii
C. asumaniae
C. banaticus
C. biflorus
C. cancellatus
C. gilanicus
C. hadriaticus (variable)
C. hermoneus
C. karduchorum
C. kotschyanus
C. laevigatus (variable)
C. medius
C. moabiticus
C. niveus
C. nudiflorus
C. pallasii (variable)
C. pulchellus
C. serotinus (variable)
C. speciosus
C. vallicola

Oops! I ordered Crocus speciosus

Crocus cartwrightianus and Saffron* (Crocus cartwrightianus ssp. sativus) have leaves well developed at flowering.
*Three stamens "threads" per flower.