Believe in Bulbs

In April, I took a bucket-list trip to the Netherlands to see the iconic Dutch tulips, specifically the magic of the Keukenhof gardens. It did not disappoint as “The most beautiful spring garden in the world.”

The sensory experience of so many spring blooms in one garden made me feel so alive! My favorites were the randomized plantings of daffodil meadows, the white masses of pointed-pedal tulips and the large beds of multi-colored muscari. With a focus on bulbs, the famous 79-acre garden is only open for eight weeks in spring, but it’s this time of year that major preparation for show season begins. Starting in October, a team of 40 gardeners will plant nearly seven million bulbs—by hand—in just two months.

While I don’t plant nearly as many, the recent arrival of my custom bulb delivery from Holland has me thinking of my fellow gardeners at Keukenhof. Poet May Sarton said, “I long for the bulbs to arrive, for early autumn chores are melancholy, but the planting of the bulbs is the work of hope and always thrilling.”

My fall bulb installation has become a holy practice. As the crusty, brown round is buried in the ground there is only hope that the weather will cooperate, the soil will stay cool, the cruel rodents will stay out and that in five to six months, mother nature will reliably warm to spring.

Like Sarton said, it’s a thrilling ‘work of hope’.

For clients, I also encourage bulbs because they are easy to grow, relatively inexpensive, and will give the garden an extra season of interest in early spring.

Here are a few tips if you want to get in on the fun this fall:

• I prefer pastel bulb blends or monochromatic color schemes, always avoiding red. (This is my opinion. Red feels too abrupt. In time, you’ll discover your style preferences, too.)
• Because the Mountain West often experiences late-season snowstorms, choose the ‘late’ blooming tulip. Alliums are also a great, stylish bulb that blooms on the heels of the late-blooming tulips.
• Plant bulbs in the fall when the nighttime temperatures dip to 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit and several weeks before the first hard freeze. For northern gardeners, this is usually sometime in October.
• Generally, you should plant bulbs two to three times as deep as the bulbs is tall. This means most large bulbs will be planted about 6 inches deep while smaller bulbs will be planted 3-4 inches deep.
• After planting, water the flower bulbs. This will help settle the soil in the planting bed plus provide needed moisture for the bulbs to start rooting. Fall planted bulbs must root before cold weather. Avoid over-watering at planting time since this can result in bulb rot.
• Yes, tulip bulbs need to be planted annually as they progressively become weaker. Typically, alliums, daffodils and hyacinth will come back year after year.
• Unique tulip varieties often sell out quickly, so order early.
• If you don’t have a garden bed, try potting tulips. Just make sure the pot has a drainage hole and is left outdoors where it will receive regular winter moisture.