Fall planted bulbs for Spring Beauty
Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Crocuses … the bulbs of spring … are plants in miniature, having within them the flowers, leaves, etc.. waiting only for warmth and moisture to start rapid growth toward a complete blooming plant.
WHERE TO PLANT BULBS:
Bulbous flowers can be used in. many places in the garden on the lawn, at its edges, in various borders, in annual and perennial beds, and border the rockery in window boxes, and informal gardens and plots. If you have a woodsy garden or garden corner, bulbs planted naturally will make it charming. Bulbs are easy to grow, too, delighting both in the sun and partial shade and asking for only a very little attention. If you have a garden, you might set aside a plot for a cutting garden of bulbs alone, or include them among annuals, perennials, and biennials you are growing apart for cut flowers.
SOIL PREPARATION:
Most of these plants grow well in a sandy loam. Heavy clay soils should be loosened by adding sand and humus materials. Bulb beds should be spaded deep-some 12 to 18 inches. Heavy clay soils should be loosened by working sand and humus material into the soil. If the soil is of a wet nature, place small rocks, broken pots, or gravel in a layer some 10 to 18 inches deep. Extremely sandy soils will benefit from the addition of humus material. When spading up the bed, it is wise to mix in complete plant food with the soil. Here is a chance to get plant food deep in the soil and thoroughly mixed to increase the general fertility level. Use 1 pound of Fertilizer per 25 square feet of bed.
HOW TO PLANT BULBS:
Follow the directions that are provided when you purchase your bulbs. Understand depth and distances apart requirements. These are general rules and in certain plantings and specific soil, they may need to be varied. If the soil is very sandy, bulbs should be planted deeper. Choice bulbs should be set on a layer of sand 1 to 2 inches deep. Always place 1 teaspoonful of Fertilizer 3 or 4 inches under each bulb with soil or sand between the bulb and the plant food soil mixture. Be sure the bulb rests firmly in the soil, without an air space under the bulb.
CARE OF BULBS:
After blooming you have a choice of taking them up and storing leaving them in the ground or dividing them. Don’t dig, cut back, or divide until the tops are brown. Give the plant time to grow and mature the bulbs that will produce a good bloom next year. Bulbs left in the soil should be fed in the early spring. Scratch and water Fertilizer into the soil at the rate of 1 pound per 25 square feet of bed (or feet of row). For individual plantings use 1 tablespoonful per plant.
