Caring for Flower Bulbs
The tricks to successful bulb growing are pretty basic. (Just give the bulb what it wants) :-)
First You Have To Dream
Fall picture contest 2009. Here's the fall bulb picture contest 2009 entries
Then You Have To Give Them What They Want
Bulbs want full sunshine.
While there are a few that will tolerate shade for the most part, you’re going to find that a minimum of six full hot sun hours a day is the minimum to grow a great bulb. That’s always assuming you want them to live for years; if you only want a single season’s show, you can plant them anywhere.
Bulbs demand superb drainage.
The fastest way to kill most bulbs is to overwater them. Many bulbs are native to areas where summer rains are almost non-existent (tulips for example) and when we keep them well-watered in our summer gardens, they tend to rot away.
Bulbs require a period of growing their leaves after blooming.
So cutting off leaves before they go brown naturally is a surefire way to stop your bulbs from thriving. Similarly, tying up the leaves to get them out of the way is only marginally better. I’ll repeat this advice throughout the articles. You have to let those leaves produce enough energy so the bulb can develop a flower bud for the following season. Without that sunshine being stored up, there will be no flowers the next year.
Feeding Bulbs
Most bulbs do quite well with a yearly feeding of compost. They are not overly greedy feeders.
Common Bulb Problems and Questions
Sometimes your bulbs just don't bloom.
Growing organic flower bulbs here and this will expand as questions come in on this topic. For now, it has two basic tips. (that's all you really need I suspect) :-)
Storing Flower Bulbs
Storing flower bulbs always gets questions and here's the basic guidelines. While the easiest way is to store them in the ground, sometimes winter gets in the way.
Specific guidelines for most common tender bulbs are here.
Planting and Moving Bulbs Questions
Here's how to plant bulbs
Can you plant spring blooming bulbs in the spring?
How to move flower bulbs
Here's what to do if you forgot to plant your bulbs last fall
Tulip 'Apricot Beauty'
Need to Ask a Question About Bulbs?
If you have a question about growing bulbs that's not covered in the website (CHECK SEARCH FIRST) then this is the place to ask it.
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
why won`t my Iris bloom?
why won`t my Iris bloom? They are in well drained soil & were fed plenty of bone meal.
Doug says the main cause of iris non-blooming is lack of light ...
Supposedly bulbs of a cornflower-blue daisy I just received 25 "bulbs" of blue daisies. They look like very large black raisins and are hard. I questioned the seller re seed pod vs bulb, and was ...
winter preparation for canna
Live in high desert (Ca) and wonder what needs to be done for Cannas before winter sets in. They are in pots right now.
Doug says nothing needs to ...
tulips in a pot, how do I regrow?
got tulips in a pot, want to regrow outside, how can i regrow them after flowers and leaves have died?
Doug says you simply remove the soil from the ...
do I need to move my Tulips I have Tulips mixed in with my other flowers and will need to water these other plants all summer. Do I need to move the Tulips to save them from rotting ...
Put the flower pot on top of the bulbs Instead of growing annuals on top of the hyacinth or the tuilp bulbs, can I put the geranium flower pot in the area that has the bulbs dormant in the ground?...
Iris's have never bloomed in 3 years The same rhizomes were planted at same time. The ones in my soft mulch bed at the corner of my house bloom abundantly. The ones planted with my neighbors ...
moving flower bulbs when they are starting to bloom we want to build up my flower garden by building a concrete border and filling it with 3 inches of soil should i move my bulbs and if i do how can i do ...
Temperature for killing tulips
whats the coldest tulips can take with out killing them??? mine are in a pot..
Doug says if they've been outside and are growing, they should be able ...
Planting Spring Bulb Flowers that have been in a basket I received tulips and daffodils in a basket a few weeks ago. The flowers have died, but I want to plant the bulbs outside. When can I do that and what ...
tulips indoors are dying
i just recieved tulips for valentines day they bloomed and now the flowers are dying and the leaves became soft the plant are wilting what do i do ?
Doug ...
Indoor Tulip Care
I have about 5 to 6 tulips that are planted in a pot. How do I care for them?
Doug says that the easiest way to learn how to care for them is to read ...
Potted tulips in Lousiana
I got potted tulips for valentines. How do I care for them if it's not the right time of the year to plant them in the ground?
Doug says that I have ...
Potted tulip care I received the above potted tulip plant 5 days ago and it started wreathing immediately. Does it require a cool temperature? Our place is kept warm, normally ...
Getting a Bulb to Rebloom The Narcissus bloomed for Christmas and is done. It's in a plastic pot. There's still foliage. I know to leave the foliage. Should I continue to water?...
distilled water harmful or not
will bottled distilled water hurt my tulips
Doug says no it won't hurt them
good bulbs for wedding gifts I'm getting married in October and was thinking about using bulbs or flower seeds as favors. Originally, I was thinking of bulbs because when I was a ...
Do I cut back bulbs I have a garden in NW Albuquerque, New Mexico..and had beautiful bulbs this past spring/summer. They are mostly lilies and some look kind of like gladiolas....
Newbie growing potted tulips
Hello,
I live in Southern California. Just planted the tulip bulbs yesterday and I was told to fertilize the soil before I plant them. And I did. Just ...
storing bulbs
Can I use newspaper to store the bulbs in?
Doug says I don't do this - it restricts air circulation around the bulbs too much. Store in net bags instead....
weed killer on bulbs
will weed killer harm dormant bulbs
Doug says that it depends on which one you use. And I don't recommend using any weedkillers because of the environmental ...
How to water Potted tulips
How frequently should I water my indoor potted tulip and how much water should I give it?
Doug says that you water with the "finger test". Put your ...
Calla Lillies flower appears to have bulbs?
My calla lillies appear to have bulbs growing in the flower. Do I plant these or leave them alone to drop?
Doug says it sounds as if your plant is setting ...
If you want to ask about caring for flower bulbs, click here
