When gardening with bulbs . . . 

. . . do you know what bulbs should be planted?  Do you know  where and when to plant your bulbs and how to take care of your tall plants? Here's a general guide to help you get started.

Gardening With Bulbs

© Renee Randall

When gardening with bulbs, choose bulbs that are fancy, fragrant, small, or grand.

 Caladiums, Daffodils, and Glory of Snow are great examples of fancy bulb choices for flower gardening. 
Caladiums are decorative, heart-shaped bulbs of green, white, silver, pink, and red. 
Daffodils are beautiful trumpet-like bulbs of many colorful choices that grow to a height of 4-20". 
Glory of Snow are star-shaped pink, white, and blue bulbs that grow to a height of 4-5".

Hyacinths, Lilies, and Tulips are also great examples of gardening bulb choices 
Hyacinths are foot-high bulbs of vibrant colors and rich fragrances. 
Lilies are flared trumpet-like bulbs of all different sizes, colors, and varieties. 
Tulips are strong, reliable bulbs of many different colors, sizes, and varieties.

When To Plant, How To Prepare Your Soil, and How To Plant Your Bulbs

When gardening with bulbs, plant bulbs in spring if they bloom in fall, and in the fall if they bloom in spring.

Till or turn the soil in the area where you will be planting, remove any debris, and spread compost or manure over the area. Till again, or turn the soil, and remove any debris; then lightly rake the area.

Determine proper spacing, and begin planting each bulb with the top facing skyward at a depth equal to three times each bulb's diameter-- if a bulb is one inch across, plant it three inches deep.

Cover and lightly pack bulbs with soil. Water thoroughly.

Securing Your Tall Plants

Stake your gardening bulbs that are larger by placing one end of a 4-foot pole beside the bulb while planting. Fill in the hole and pack soil to remove any air pockets and to secure the pole. Water thoroughly.

As the plant grows, pinch off flower buds and side leaves from the stem so that only two ore three buds are left at the top of the stem. Rest the stem against the stake, but do not secure it.

Once the stem is about twelve inches high, loosely secure it to the stake with rope. As the stem grows, continue securing it every eight to twelve inches.

Protecting Your Gardening Bulbs From Animals

Protect bulbs from animals during planting. Arrange some stones at the bottom of the planting hole, place the bulb on top of the stones, place more stones around it, but do not cover the very top of the bulb, then fill in the hole.

If additional precautions need to be taken, line the bottom and sides of the planting hole with metal wire. Fill lightly with some soil, place the bulb, then finish filling in the hole with soil. This method is used most often when planting beds of bulbs.

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About the Author:
Learn more about planting and caring for bulbs and about buying bulbs at wholesale prices guaranteed to grow: www.bloomingbulb.com