Spring Bulbs

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Photos courtesy of Brent & Becky’s Bulbs unless otherwise noted.

After months of looking at drab, lifeless landscapes, who wouldn’t be excited to see hints of springtime and its bountiful, colorful blooms? These early bloomers usually come in the form of bulbs, which are an easy choice for gardeners, since plants grown from bulbs tend to be easier to establish than ones grown from seed or plants. And as much as spring is about enjoying spring flowers, it’s also a time to think about planting more bulbs for continuous color throughout the summer.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BULBS AND OTHER LUMPY, BUMPY THINGS

The term bulb covers a group of perennial plants that grow from fibrous bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes, and tuberous roots. You’re probably more familiar with bulbs than you realize, since garlic, onion, ginger, and potatoes are all from that family. While certain bulbs on your dinner plate can be delicious, they also make a great choice for your garden. That’s because bulbs are basically a plant in a protective package. While dormant, the bulb shields the plant from cold or drought until the days begin to grow long and warm and it’s safe to come out.

When planting bulbs, it’s best to start with loose, well-draining soil. Too much moisture and bulbs will rot. And since many bulbs are a delicious treat for deer, voles, and other woodland creatures, planting is a good time to think about critter-proofing your bulbs. You can protect the bulbs by planting them in cages or lining the hole with hardware cloth or sharp gravel to discourage foragers from digging them up. Using gravel has an added advantage of helping with drainage. You can repel hungry critters with non-edible bulbs such as daffodils or snowflakes. Use these alone for worry-free planting or use them as protection around your more edible bulbs.

Though exact planting guidelines will depend on the specific bulb you are planting, the general rule of thumb is to use three times the size of the bulb for the depth of the hole and space between each bulb. For example, two-inch bulbs would be planted six inche

s deep and be spaced six inches apart. And while most flowering plants love the sunshine, a few, like snowdrops, can tolerate some shade.

One last thing to keep in mind when choosing your bulbs — bloom times. Select plants with different bloom times throughout the spring and summer (or even the fall), so that something is always coming into bloom while others are finishing.

SPRING FLOWERING BULBS: A LONG SLEEP AND A BEAUTIFUL AWAKENING

“When we plant bulbs in the fall, we’re planting hopes for the spring.” — Brent Heath

Whether the flower comes from a bulb, corm or rhizome is not important, what does matter is how cold hardy they are, and that will determine when you plant them. Spring-flowering bulbs are planted in the fall, just after the first frost, which in Virginia’s Zone 7 is usually sometime between mid-October and December. Bulbs need a little time to develop roots before the cold dormancy sets in, which is needed to produce blooms in the spring.

THE DUTCH MASTERS

When you think spring blooms, tulips are probably the first flower to come to mind. Who hasn’t fallen in love at the pictures of vast rows of tulips in bloom, complete with a windmill in the background? The Netherlands has a long history with the tulip, dating back to the sixteenth century when it was first imported from present-day Turkey. Based on the shape of the flower, the name tulip, comes from the Persian word for turban, tulipan.

The Dutch were smitten with the flower almost immediately after its arrival. They were often featured in paintings and by the mid-seventeenth century, so popular that they created the first economic bubble. “Tulip Mania” drove up the prices of bulbs so much that they were used as currency until the market crashed.

Today, roughly three-quarters of the world’s flowering bulbs come from the Netherlands, many of them still tulips. Today’s tulips come in a variety of shapes and colors: classic single blooms; double-flowered, peony-like blooms; simple and elegant lily-flowered tulips; and lavish, feathery parrot tulips. Each has a very different look, along with a choice of single or multiple colors, so you’re definitely not limited to what you can plant.

Another reliable winter-hardy bulb, the bright, sunny daffodil is a close second to the tulip, unless you live in the Gloucester area, where daffodils reign supreme. The “Daffodil Capital of America,” Gloucester boasts the Daffodil Festival every April and is the home of Brent & Becky’s Bulbs.

Brent Heath, the “Brent” of Brent and Becky’s, believes that the daffodil’s popularity stems from its cheery, eye-catching color. “Yellow is the first color your eyes see,” he says. And a bonus to the beauty? Like all bulbs in the Amaryllis family (snowdrops and snowflakes are others), “they’re deer-proof,” he says.

The variety of color and form is not quite as extensive as tulips, though there is still a lot to feast your eyes on. In addition to the classic yellow, daffodils come in white and shades of orange — subtle apricots and deep corals to intense orange — and in many color combinations. You can also choose from a dozen different types, from bold trumpet, large-cupped, and double daffodils, to dainty tazetta and jonquilla daffodils, among others.

EARLY RISERS AT THE EDGE OF WINTER AND SPRING

Can’t wait for early spring to see flowers? Try planting snowdrops (galanthus) or snowflakes (leucojum). These cold-hardy plants send up simple white flowers and grassy green leaves in March.

If you’re searching for more color, crocuses, with their pinks, purples, and yellows, will make you dream of warmer weather. One in particular, crocus tommasinianus, or the woodland crocus, spreads easily, creating a blanket of color. Because of their short stature, growing just three inches tall, they are best paired with other plants. And because they tolerate some shade, they do well at the base of shrubs or trees. Other early risers to try: winter aconite (buttercup) and cyclamen.

SPRING IN FULL BLOOM

Though tulips and daffodils get most of the attention in spring, there are other flowers that have their own advantages.

Allium (ornamental onion): A stand out in any garden for their height, color, and size of the globe-like flower head. Late spring to early summer bloom.

Anemone (Grecian windflower): Anemone blanda is a low-growing plant with dark centers and daisy-like petals. Because of its low height, it is a great companion plant for taller spring-blooming bulbs like tulips or daffodils. Early to mid-spring bloom.

Asiatic Lily: A hardy lily with tall leafy stems and trumpet-shaped blooms from spring to early summer.

Hyacinth/Grape Hyacinth: Full of fragrance and color, these flowers grow in a distinctive column shape, roughly ten inches high. Grape hyacinths are similar but on a much smaller scale. Early to mid-spring bloom.

Iris (Dutch): The Dutch iris Carmen produces tall, slender plants with lavender blooms and a striking splash of yellow. This particular iris works well, appropriately enough, as a cut flower, since it usually blooms around Mother’s Day. Late spring to early summer blooms.

SPRING PLANTED BULBS: A SHORT NAP FOR SUMMER BEAUTY

Spring isn’t just a time for enjoying abundance. It’s also a time to get your hands dirty for color later on. Some bulbs do not need or want a cold dormant period. Tender bulbs, as they are called, are planted when the soil warms up to about 60 degrees, for color throughout the summer.

Canna: A bold, tropical plant, beautiful for both its foliage and flowers. Leaf colors can be green or deep red, with some green/yellow or green/white variegated varieties too. One of the few flowering bulbs that like to get their feet wet, it will do well in areas with lots of moisture. Given its height, it works best in the background of planting beds. It blooms mid to late summer.

Gladiolus: A truly stunning plant, with its tall stalks of flowers that come in a rainbow of colors. Given its height of two feet or taller, this plant works best as a backdrop to shorter plants. Glads often need be staked because of their height, but shorter plants can also act as a support. They bloom in mid to late summer.

Dahlia: There is such a variety in shapes, sizes, and colors, that sometimes it’s hard to believe they are all the same plant. Be it the opulent dinner-plate dahlias, spiky cactus dahlias, pom poms, or daisy-like mignons, they offer

endless opportunities to experiment. They bloom in early to mid-summer. With deadheading (removing spent blooms), dahlias

 will give you a wonderful second bloom after the heat of the summer into early fall.

AFTER THE PARTY IS OVER

All good things must come to an end and that includes blooming seasons. Once flowering bulbs finish blooming, the greenery will start to yellow and die back. Here is where patience and companion planting pay off. Despite its not-so-attractive appearance, it’s important to leave the foliage in place until the greenery turns yellow and flops over. Once that happens, you can cut the stems and leaves off. Because bulbs use their foliage to produce energy for blooming, cutting it off too soon will affect the bulb’s ability to produce flowers for you the next season. Planting bulbs with different bloom times or using other plants will help hide the process.

Daylilies or ornamental grasses are both great choices for camouflage because of their fullness. With tender bulbs, a little extra care is needed to get through Virginia’s winters. There are a few ways to do this: Dig up the bulbs after the first frost and store them in a cool, dry, freeze-free spot until spring; plant them in raised beds and provide an added layer of mulch before winter; or plant them in containers and move them, container and all, into a cool, dry, freeze-free place for the winter. Once spring arrives, it’s time to start the whole process over again.

Spring and summer flowering bulbs are an easy option for gardeners to beautify their landscapes, whether they have green thumbs or not. With the sheer variety of choices and versatility in location — doing well indoors and out, in containers or in the ground — it would be difficult to imagine a landscape without them. So get out there and start digging.