Planting Flower Bulbs – It’s All About Location

Flower bulbs are nothing more than the portion of a dormant plant that contains the nourishment is needs to sustain its dormancy. Most everyone is family with the household onion that has long since found its way onto the tables of homes and restaurants. Other bulbs point toward the beautiful plants that are lilies, tulips, and daffodils.

In the past it has been thought by many a gardening newbie that planting bulbs was child’s play. After all, it took nothing more than a handful of bulbs, some holes dug into the dirt, and then some water to entice the most beautiful flowers to spring forth!  Alas, this lack of knowledge has led to many a novice forgetting where the bulbs he planted lay, or – in the alternative – has led to waterlogged bulbs that eventually rotted in the ground. Thus, when it comes to planting flower bulbs, it’s all about location. Here are some helpful tips and tricks:

Pick out the bulbs for the plants you wish to grow by knowing if the plant will grow in your area. Location is everything for the plants that are about to grow from the bulbs, and if you do not want them to turn into sickly flowers that will quickly wilt, you need to pick the right bulbs for the job.

Pick your soil wisely. Sure, you might be tempted to look for a free spot in your yard, yet if the soil there is overly moist or too rocky, you may not see anything for your hard labor. A soil that fails to drain properly will waterlog your bulbs and rot them from the ground up. Even if the plants were to grow, they would soon die. An arid soil that does not offer the proper pH balance will most likely lead to small, anemic plants that will not withstand much. If you really want to get your plants ready for a good start, consider adding some bone meal to the soil and placing an extra pinch at the bottom of the hole to help the roots grow strong and healthy.

Pick your planting location wisely. Just because you have a bit of space available does not mean it is a good place for the plants that will grow. While it may seem to be a perfect fit for the bulbs, it might be less than ideal for the tulips or daffodils you are hoping to grow. Consider the need of the plants first, and then pick the spot. If they love sun, you will want to find a spot that is not in the shade of an evergreen shrub or plant. On the other hand, if your plants will bloom only in the spring, then the shadow of a bush will most likely work, since it will take a little while for the leaves on that bush to grow in and in the meantime the plants can soak up all the sunshine they need as it will shine through the twigs.

Pick the right way you place the bulb into the hole. You would be surprised how many folks are thinking that you can just put a bulb into the ground willy nilly. This is not the truth!  Instead, you will need to locate the proper direction: the flat end is the bottom, whereas the end that seems to come to a point is actually the top.

Mark the location where you have planted your bulbs. A little homemade marker will work just find. The goal is to remember where you placed them, so that you will not dig up the bulbs as you are planting other flowers during the spring season. Additionally, such markings will remind you of the location of the bulbs if you need to water after an extreme winter dry spell.

As you can see, there are many reasons why location is indeed of the utmost importance when planting bulbs.