Tips for Fall Bulbs

A little something that I made up for a small garden club last fall. Thought I would share:
TIPS ON FALL BULBS

Buying
• The bigger and the heavier the bulb, the larger and more flowers per plant.
• Bulbs must be firm, blemish-free, and no sign of mold/rot.

Planting
• Rule of Thumb – depth is three times the length of the bulb. Tulips at least 8”-15”. For naturalizing, the deeper the better.
• Plant point up and corms, tubers, rhizomes plant roots down.
• Most bulbs plant in full sun.
• Fall planting can start as early as August up to October, keeping in mind the bulb does need to root in and will need at least a couple of weeks of 10°C daytime temperature.
• Soil with good drainage.
• Plant in groups of odd numbers, never in straight rows.
• Liatris and lilies can be individual plants, others should be in groups.
• Use a bulb booster when planting in addition to bonemeal.

Tulips
• Hybrid tulips die after two or three years no matter what you do. Treat as annuals. They do not naturalize well.
• Darwin and species tulips will naturalize and multiply.
• The mother bulb dies after flowering and you are relying on daughter bulbs for your next year’s blooms.
• Must deadhead and not allow seedheads to form. It takes too much energy from the next year’s bulbs and they will not develop to blooming potential.

Lilies
• Asiatic and Oriental lilies naturalize well.
• Careful with new growth. If tip is broken off it will not flower till the following year.
• Lilies can be planted right up to November.

Growing
• Bulbs are heavy feeders. They need fertilizer in fall planting, spring emergence and during and after blooming.
• Must leave foliage until completely brown for photosynthesis. (This develops the new bulbs for next year).
• Think of seeds as the children and daughter bulbs as the clones.

Pests
• Dust bulbs with bulb dust at planting time (insecticide).
• Squirrels are attracted to newly dug ground so put a barrier such as window screen over the top for a couple of weeks after planting. Remove before growth starts.
• Blood meal is said to discourage rabbits and deer.
• Daffodils, allium and grape hyacinth (muscari) are bulb types that animals do not eat.

Forcing
• Most bulbs can be forced with water alone. (Some chilling may be required for some bulbs). Bulbs forced in soil and fertilized may be more apt to flower again.
• Amaryllis and giant hyacinth are great indoor winter bulbs to force.

Cut Flowers
• People with sensitive skin should wear gloves when cutting tulips and daffodils. They can cause skin irritation.
• Never put daffodils with any other cut flowers. They will all wilt.
• Break off the upper tip of the glad and all buds will open.
• When cutting flowers, do in early morning.
• Liatris is a nice spike that blooms top to bottom.

Some great tips. I've found it doesn't matter what kind of tulips I plant, they won't last more than about 3 years unless I don't like them. Our soil is heavy; so they probably don't get the drainage that would be ideal.

I've always planted my tulips about a foot deep and have never lost them to squirrels. It also helps to scruff up other areas around where you planted them. I think the squirrels are attracted to newly disturbed soil.

Lilies are a problem for those of us in the East. We have the dreaded red European lily beatle which has no real enemies. I'm gradually giving up the battle and removing the lilies rather than fight with it all season.

Interesting tip about not putting daffodils with other cut flowers.

Ann

Here's a picture of my Starfighter Lilies. (new this year) Took the picture this weekend.

Ordered them from ValleyK Greenhouse in Alberta.

Those are great tips. I may try to plant some bulbs for the first time this year.
All I have so far are some tiger lilies that I got from a neighbour the first year I moved in here. I planted scads of mini bulbs on my roof garden when I put that in, but as only 5-6" of soil there, the squirrels got most of them - only a purple flower that I can't remember what it is, survived.
This is the one that survived.

"Roof garden" - wow! Love the sounds of that!
Your "survivor" is siberian squill, Scilla siberica.

Thanks altagardner.

I was away all last summer and fall, and this year was a mess up there. Practically all volunteers. Lots and lots of goldenrod showing up, some other really tall stuff, weedy stuff, and a whole bunch of marbles planted by the squirrels.
I'm going to have to rip most of it out next year and see if I can get it back to some semblance of order.
My roof garden is my alternative to a cottage.

Thanks for the ID on that plant - I'd like to get more.

Love your Bell Rain Chain. :)

Thanks, DonM47.

I love my Rain Chain too, but it sure was a problem last winter. The chain doesn't drain the troughs as fast as a downspout, and with all the rain and snow we had the whole thing froze solid, from the bowl on the ground right up to the trough, and wasn't draining at all.

I'm going to have to take the bowl in this winter, and if that doesn't do the trick (it was causing backup, and ice damming for my neighbours too, as I'm in a row house) I'll have to figure out how to take it down each winter.

The sound is wonderful, though, when it rains. I can just sit inside the door and listen to it and be happy listening.

I can imagine...gotta get one!