When to Plant Spring Bulbs

Springtime bulbs that come up in March and April offer a welcome splash of color after a cold winter. Bulbs are an excellent perennial for your flower garden because in addition to their yearly return, you can plant other flowers among the bulbs once the blooms have died off. Learn the best time to plant these bulbs, and how to properly care for them.

When to Plant Bulbs

While bulbs go on sale during the summer, go ahead and purchase the ones you want so that you can be sure to get the variety that you want for your garden. Hold onto them though, as it is best to wait to plant them until the fall, before the first hard freeze. Waiting until the cooler weather will enable the bulbs to go dormant, preparing them for their springtime bloom.

When planting the bulbs, it is important to place them deep enough in the soil. Different bulbs are planted at different soil depths, so check before your dig to see how deep you need to plant them. In general, the larger bulbs will need to be planted 6 to 8 inches deep, while smaller bulbs can be planted closer to the surface.

How to Care for Bulbs

Bulbs need to be planted in the fall before the first hard freeze. You will not need to do anything to the bulbs to get them to bloom in the spring. Once the weather warms up enough, they will begin to sprout. As soon as you see the bulbs beginning to break through the ground, you will need to care for them the same way you would any flower in your garden. The most important thing is to ensure that the ground does not become too dry.

After the blooms die, it is best to allow the plants to die and go away completely on their own in order for the bulb to properly go dormant. If that is not possible, wait until the leaves are completely brown before clipping them, or mow them over. You can then plant your summer garden. It is best to not plant annual flowers directly on top of the bulbs; offset the flowers slightly so that the roots do not interfere with the bulbs. This makes it easy to enjoy spring flowers and continue your garden through the summer.

Planting bulbs can be a great way to brighten up any yard or flower garden. These hardy, low maintenance flowers need to be planted in the fall, and will come up on their own each spring for years to come.

Read more information on creating a flower garden.