20 Secrets to Success

Planting Flower Bulbs

An easy to read guide to success with growing flower bulbs for

blooms in spring and summer.
Expert advice intended for gardeners of all skill levels from
beginner to experienced.
 Table of Contents and Introduction
5 Flower Bulb Planting Basics Pages 3-4

5 Flower Bulb Planting Techniques for Success Pages 5-6

Top 5 Fall Planted Flower Bulb Secrets Pages 7-8

Top 5 Spring Planted Flower Bulb Secrets Pages 9-10

Introduction
Believe it or not flower bulbs are at the top of the list of easiest plants to grow. Often, they
take care of themselves and once planted in the ground don’t require a lot of extra attention.
This doesn’t mean they are 100% fool proof, but they are pretty close to it. In order to have a
garden of blooming bulbs learn these 20 secrets for success with flower bulbs!
 5 Flower Bulb Planting Basics
Bulbs don’t like wet feet—make sure your soil drains well. This is the first and most important
secret to success with flower bulbs. How do you know if the soil drains well? If water pools for an
hour or more in the area after a steady rain the soil does not drain well. Add soil amendments like
compost and peat moss to the planting area to improve the drainage in the planting area.

Learn the difference between summer blooming bulbs and spring blooming bulbs. Summer
blooming bulbs are planted in spring to early summer and bloom the same summer they are
planted. Spring blooming bulbs are
planted in the fall or early winter before
the ground freezes for the year and
bloom the following spring.

Find your hardiness zone to

learn which bulbs will grow best and
when the best time to plant for your
zone is. Simply type your zip code
here to determine what hardiness
zone you are located in.
 Sun, shade, or both! When selecting bulbs to plant in your
garden pay attention to how much sun the planting location re-
ceives. Holland Bulb Farms lists the sun requirements on each item
they sell, they take the guess work out of determining how much
sun the item needs. However, you will want to monitor the planting
area for a day to see when the sun shines on the planting area and
for how long.

If the area receives bright and direct sun for 6-8+ hours,
that is considered a full sun planting area. If trees provide filtered
shade, or the area gets direct sun for 4-6 hours, that area is con-
sidered partial shade. Planting locations with less than 4 hours of
sun or heavy shade from tree leaves are considered full shade.
Even 1 hour less or more of sun a day can have a huge impact on
the health, growth and wellbeing of the bulbs planting in the area.
 5 Flower Bulb Planting Techniques
for Success
Plant the right side up! Not all flower bulbs have the same shape, therefore, determining
which is the right side is not always straightforward. Bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and lilies
have a distinctly pointed side. The pointed side should be planted facing the sky. Bulbs like caladi-
um and anemone do not have a noticeably pointed end. Those
bulbs should be laid on their sides, when the bulbs are ready to
grow, they will naturally reach for the light and straighten them-
selves out. When in doubt of what the right side is, always lay the
bulb on its side in the planting hole.

Plant at the correct planting depth for the bulbs you are
planting. Holland Bulb Farms includes planting depth instruc-
tions on all the packages of bulbs they ship. However, a gen-
eral rule of thumb is the bulbs should be planted 2-3 times
the height of the flower bulb. Therefore, if a bulb is 2” tall it
should be planted at least 4-6” deep.
 Use bulb planting equipment to make planting easier. Bulb
planting equipment like a flower bulb hex drill planter is an auger
that attaches to your drill makes the planting process much easier.
The auger attaches to any hand drill and helps to break up the soil
in the planting area, which leads to improved drainage which is the
#1 secret to success with flower bulbs; well drained soil.

Bouquet plant spring blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths,

Dutch Iris, crocus, and allium for the biggest display of blooms.

To bouquet plant you will prepare a large planting hole that can fit 3 or more bulbs in it. The
bulbs can be planted close together as long as they aren’t touching. Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths
can have 3-5 bulbs per 12” wide planting hole. Small bulbs like crocus and Dutch Iris can have 5,7
or 9 bulbs per 8-12” wide planting hole.

Plant at the right time for your hardiness zone. Planting too early in spring when the ground
is cold can be detrimental to the survival of the bulbs. Planting too early in the fall when it’s too
warm can also produce unfruitful results. For fall planting it is best to plant when the daytime
temperatures are in the 60’s or lower. For spring planting, it is best to plant when the danger of
frost in your area has passed.
 Top 5 Fall Planted Flower Bulb Secrets
Fall bulbs can planted after a frost and grow exceptionally well when planted in cool tempera-
tures. As long as the ground can be dug into fall bulbs like daffodils, tulips, crocus, allium and more
can be planted—don’t let chilly temperatures prevent a garden of blooms come springtime.

Make sure your climate has the proper temperatures for the bulbs you are planting. Most
Fall planted bulbs like tulips require cold temperatures in order for the bulbs to produce a flower
bud. They require 12-16 weeks of temperatures in the 50’s or lower
during the day in order for the bulbs to bloom. Fall planted bulbs
grow best in zones 3-8.

Use animal repellents like Liquid Fence at the time of

planting in fall to protect bulbs like crocus and tulips
from squirrels. When the bulbs emerge in spring apply
Liquid Fence to the leaves, flowers and surrounding areas
if deer and rabbits are a problem in your garden.
 Plant early, mid, and late blooming spring blooming bulbs to ensure you have blooms for
months in the spring. Starting with a pre-planned garden collection is a great way to ensure you
have blooms for the entire spring season.

Once the bulbs are initially planted add water to the planting area. After the initial planting no
excess water is needed while the bulbs are dormant. In spring when the bulbs appear they may
not need extra water if rain is regularly happening in your area. As the leaves emerge water and
a granular bulb fertilizer can be applied at the base of the plants.
 Top 5 Spring Planted Flower Bulb Secrets
Bulbs that bloom in summer and are planted in spring tend to thrive in warm to tropical
climates. Therefore, it is best to plant these bulbs when the soil has warmed, and the air
temperatures are above 60 degrees on a consistent basis.

A key difference between spring planted and fall

planted bulbs is spring planted bulbs will grow within
weeks of being planted, where fall planted bulbs are
dormant all winter until spring temperatures allow for
growth. Since spring planted bulbs grow in the same
season, they were planted one should not wait months
for growth or blooms to appear. At most spring planted
bulbs take 8 weeks to sprout.

While waiting for spring bulbs to sprout the bulbs prefer to be kept on the dry side.
Therefore, while waiting for sprouts to emerge on summer blooming bulbs it is best to not add
additional water, the only water the bulbs should receive should be in the form of rain from the
earth. Once the bulbs have sprouted, they can and should be watered on a regular basis
based on soil moisture levels and local rainfall amounts.
 Container gardens are an excellent way to incor-
porate different colors and textures into your garden
by using flower bulbs. Plant bulbs like begonias, calla
lilies, dwarf cannas, caladiums, and dwarf dahlias in
pots for summer blooms anywhere and everywhere!
Don’t let space, or sunlight requirements prevent you
from having summer blooming bulbs as part of your
garden.

Summer bulbs can be dug up and stored for the

winter months and planted the following season. Bulbs
that bloom in summer are often tender and native to
tropical climates, therefore, they are vulnerable to freez-
ing temperatures. Therefore, many gardeners will re-
move the bulbs before the first hard frost and store
them indoors. Once you have removed the bulbs from
the ground, remove any excess soil from the bulbs.

Allow the bulbs to dry slightly by placing them outdoors for a day to dry. Store the bulbs in a con-
tainer or paper bag in an area that is dry, dark, and cool, but above freezing temperatures.
 Flower bulbs are a fun and easy way to add
color to your garden from spring through fall!

www.hollandbulbfarms.com

Don’t miss out on the opportunity for the color,

texture and fragrance flower bulbs provide.