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Getting Bulbs to "Come Back"
Following are tips on planning and planting perennial and naturalized flower bulbs that will come back for years of enjoyment.
Pointy end up. All bulbs have a top and a bottom, called the basal plate. The pointier end is generally the top. Of course with small bulbs, such as Anemone blanda, Scilla and others, it’s not always easy to tell. For planting, the general rule is “plant the point end up.” The other rule, not quite so catchy, is “basal plate down.” The basal plate is the flat part on the bottom of the bulb from which the roots will sprout. Take a good look and it’s not too hard to find this flat, usually darker basal plate. If you’re unsure, plant the bulb sideways. Even if you make a mistake, take heart. Bulbs will effectively right themselves underground as their roots tend to pull them into the proper growing position. They really are that easy to grow!
Feed the bulbs. Bulbs that are planted as annuals, expected
to bloom for only one season, don’t need fertilizer. They already contain all
the food they need to flower once. Naturalized and perennialized bulbs are
another story. They need food to recharge and regenerate for the next season’s
bloom.
For the first season:
- Work a good organic compost or well-rotted cow manure into the soil when
planting and also “top-dress” or mulch with this material.
- Or, add compost or peat to the soil for drainage and top-dress with a 9-9-6
NPK slow release or an 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 NPK, fast-release soluble fertilizer
(about one tablespoon per square foot).
What you do next spring depends on what you did in the fall:
- If you used a slow release method, such as the cow manure or the slow-release
NPK, don’t do anything.
- If you used a fast-release fertilizer to support fall rooting, apply a
nitrogen-rich fast-release NPK fertilizer in the spring just as the shoots first
emerge from the soil, or about 6 weeks prior to bloom. (Fertilizing at bloom or
after bloom can lead to disease issues.)
Whatever method you choose, each fall, fertilize again by your method of choice. Frankly, the easiest approach is a once-annual fall application of timed-release bulb food.
Fueling up for next year’s bloom. For all bulb plants, allow the green foliage to die back naturally after bloom for approximately six weeks. This time is when photosynthesis takes place, as the bulb plant creates and stores the sugars that will fuel the following year’s bloom. Hold off on mowing or tidying up fading bulb foliage during this period. If dying foliage seems unattractive, interplant bulbs with hostas, coral bells (heuchera), lilies or other perennials that leaf-out early in the spring season. As they grow and the bulb plant fades their foliage will disguise and dominate.
To dead-head or not? Yes, do dead-head tulips by snipping
off the faded flowers to prevent seeds from forming, which saps energy from the
tulip bulb. No, do not dead-head daffodils or bulbs that readily naturalize;
they just don’t need it. Large naturalized beds of daffodils can be left "au
naturale" after blooming and suffer no ill effects.
That’s about all you need to know to plant bulbs successfully. You can find more
information online at www.bulb.com, or if you’re the visual type, pay a visit to
www.bulbvideo.com, the site has lots of quick and easy-to-follow short videos on
using bulbs in the garden and bulb flowers in the home.
Sometimes naturalizing just doesn't work out. Whether it's the setting working against you, or perhaps the type of bulb, sometimes bulbs don't come back to bloom the next season. The soil or sun may not be supportive, or heavy summer watering is a factor. Plus some flower bulbs, including many tulips and hyacinths, just have difficulties coming back strongly in subsequent years.
There's also a place for short-term treasures. Even while planning your long-term naturalized bulb garden, consider including some of the stunning but more short-term non-naturalizers in high-profile garden spots. These can be your whimsical assets that change year after year. When they’ve finished flowering, just compost or toss them, freeing up the space to try different nifty new treats next fall.
The main thing about flower bulbs is that they’re fun. Few plants have such seasonal impact, or connect so closely with the cycles of nature. Naturalized plantings also add long-term value to your property. Now that’s home improvement!
