Bulbs Ideas, Tips & Guides

Colocasia ‘Mojito’ (Zone 7b-10), like all its cousins that we call elephant ears or taro, is a heat-loving plant that’s also hungry and thirsty. I grew it in a bright spot in a potting soil with lots of compost, and stood a big, deep saucer underneath—something I wouldn’t do with most other plants outdoors for fear of rotting them off. I don’t use chemical fertilizers, but I mixed in some all-natural organic formulation at planting time and occasionally added fish and seaweed emulsion to the water I gave it.In food production, prevalent in Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean, it’s the starchy tubers that are the thing—bigger is better. In ornamental horticulture, the above-ground portion is where it’s at, and here’s where the tricky part comes in about overwintering some of the most spectacular new taros—including ‘Mojito,’ and the better known ‘Black Magic.’ They don’t produce big tubers that can be lifted, like you might a canna or some of the elephant ears, and stashed dry in the cellar.

DAVID CULP is a self-professed Galanthophile, a lover and passionate, longtime collector of snowdrops in all their various incarnations. He’s also a host of the annual Galanthus Gala symposium, which happens the first weekend of March in Downingtown, PA, and virtually online, too, for those of us who want to join in without even leaving home, as I did last year, and will again this time around.

How to Grow Bulbs on a Budget Gorgeous spring blooms are a worthy investment, and here are tips on how to grow bulbs while making the most of your budget and time. Enjoy a colorful spring garden with flowering bulbs — even on a budget!

If you’ve never heard of a bulb lasagne you’re probably raising your eyebrows right now.  It is a real gardening ‘thing’ though!

Would you like to find out how to grow garlic?  It’s such an easy crop to grow!

‘Millenium’ allium has an upright habit that makes it a cinch to tuck in between other summer-blooming plants and creates an interesting contrast to the mounding cushion spurge and snow-in-summer growing nearby in this garden plan. Its ball-shaped blooms stand out among the spiky salvia and domes of euphorbia. And if deer have been browsing your garden, this is one border they'll give a pass — these perennials rarely get nibbled. Growing conditions for this drought-tolerant border Give this drought-tolerant group full sun for the most flowers and best foliage color and well-drained soil to avoid rot. There's no real need to feed this group of plants that

It’s not often that a perennial comes along that can be described (just like Mary Poppins) as practically perfect in every way. But that is a practically perfect description for ‘Millenium’ allium. Close to foolproof, ‘Millenium’ is super drought tolerant and grows from a group of small bulbs packed together in a large clump. Plants have a compact, upright habit with grassy leaves and a profusion of large 2-inch, lavender-pink drumstick flower heads that bloom for up to a month or more in mid- to late summer. ‘Millenium’ allium (Allium hybrid) Type Perennial Blooms Large 2-in. bright rosy-purple rounded clusters in mid- to late summer Light Full sun Soil Well-d

MOST BULBS TAKE UP LITTLE ROOM and give a lot in return. This slideshow includes some of my favorites, many of them animal-proof.

“I planted 3 A. giganteum bulbs in an area where a large spruce had recently been removed,” Elizabethsflowers wrote. “They came up last year, but didn’t seem happy—the leaves quickly turned brown, and the flowers weren’t too impressive. I think they might have been unhappy in that acidic soil. I meant to move them last fall, but forgot! Can I carefully move them now, before they bloom, or should I wait?” So what’s is the answer for alliums, and for other bulbs?MOVING ‘IN THE GREEN,’ OR NOT?I would not try to move alliums “in the green” (meaning when they are up and growing), I told Elizabethsflowers. The risk of breaking off the

THIS SUBJECT ALWAYS RATTLES ME A BIT: When to move flower bulbs that you want to relocate, or divide? There are proponents of the “in the green” tactic, meaning to move them when they have their foliage on, and others who say no, no, never–do it once they ripen, or even in fall.

Click the thumbnails to navigate the gallery, or hover your cursor over the left or right edge of the bigger photo then use the arrows that pop up to toggle between slides.And afterward, be sure to check the links to fuller stories on those that I have profiled, below. Enjoy!Categoriesbulbs slideshowsTagsdeerproof bulbs

Tired of waking up in spring to beheaded tulips and disappearing crocus? Shop for animal-resistant flower bulbs such as alliums (that’s Allium caeruleum up top) and Eranthis hyemalis (below) and others instead. Animal-resistant bulbs.2. try bulbs for the shade gardenIs your garden (like mine) a place of increasing shade as trees and shrubs mature? Some bulbs, including bluebells and certain species lilies and more, can manage in light

Since 1993, Scott has run Old House Gardens, the only American resource devoted exclusively to heirloom bulbs, many available nowhere else–older varieties that have been handed down for their enduring value and interest.After a degree from Columbia, Scott returned to Michigan to teach school and bought an 1870s fixer-upper house in Ann Arbor that led to an epiphany when he realized some of the plants outside it were hand-me-downs of gardeners past. He pursued a masters in historic preservation, worked as a landscape historian, and has taught landscape history at Eastern Michigan University.And most important for this discussion: Having that whole catalog of b

AFTER WINTER SPENT UNCEREMONIOUSLY IN HEFTY BAGS IN THE BASEMENT, the non-hardy bulbs at my place are striking up a chorus of Elvis’s “Love Me Tender,” trying to get through to me that they want a kinder, gentler life than the one I offer here at A Way to Garden.

Thanks to Lisa, I got helpful advice about shopping for bulbs, and the importance of choosing perennial companion plants that work well with them—creating dramatic backdrops, or hiding faded bulb foliage—plus tips for making our tulips last longer and more.  We also talked about gardening by subtraction—the essential process of editing, especially in a looser “wild garden,” as the Gravel Garden style represents.Lisa, at Chanticleer since 1990 after graduating from Longwood Gardens’ Professional Gardener Program, is also one of the co-authors of lavish book about Chanticleer called “The Art of Gardening.” (Enter in the comments box at the very bottom of the page, after the last reader comment, to win a copy.)Read along as you listen to the Aug. 29, 2016 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the

Whether you get technical or go generic with your terminology, it’s time to tuck tubers and corms and tuberous roots and rhizomes and yes, even some true bulbs into the soil for years of enjoyment. But which ones, and how?With help from horticulturist Jonathan Wright of Chanticleer Garden, who joined me on my public radio show and podcast, we’ll learn some less-than-expected uses of bulbs, like massed in lawns [photo below, at Chanticleer], and layered in containers. Plus: tips such as which bulbs are more animal-proof tha

Among the minor bulbs, better animal-resistant choices include snowdrops (Galanthus); snowflake (Leucojum); winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis); glory of the snow (Chionodoxa); Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica); Ornithogalum, Scilla, andMuscari (grape hyacinth). The so-called autumn crocus (Colchicum), with its late flowers, are also apparently not tasty.Links to some favorite bulb catalogs are listed under Sources on my Resource page, and on that same page a bit higher up, you’ll find links to bulb

Thanks for submitting lots of good Urgent Garden Questions this month to me and Ken. You can always ask us anything, urgent or otherwise, on Facebook, or in comments on this website, or using the contact form here or on Ken Druse dot com.Plus: We’re giving away a copy of Ken’s book “Making More Plants.” See details for entering at the bottom of the page.ligustrumRead along as you listen to the Jan. 29, 2018 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or S

My longtime friend Ken, an award-winning garden photographer and author of many books, including “The New Shade Garden” and “Making More Plants,” produced his own “Real Dirt” podcast for 10 years, all available on KenDruse dot com.Read along as you listen to the May 15, 2107 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).The May show is a doubleheader; this transcript is the “overtime” segment, starting at about 24 minutes into the audio file, and Part 1’s transcript is at this other link, including how to work around wet spring so

Before I placed my bulb order, I called Matt, who gardens in Worcester, Massachusetts, and blogs on the website GrowingWithPlants.com. On the latest podcast we showcased some of his favorite bulbs, including the most lily-leaf beetle-resistant lilies, and also some of his top bulb sources.Read along as you listen to the August 24, 2020 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).Plus: It’s my first podcast episode ever recorded with the voices of newly hatched heirloom turkeys to accompany us…more on that below (including a photo of the special avian gues

The end of summer is a combination of muggy weather, too many mosquitoes, and not enough time off from work to go swimming.Fortunately for all, this is also a seas

As the spring flowering bulbs need pre-chilling, you should plant them in fall in a way that they get enough time of some weeks to establish their roots before freezing but not that enough that they’ll start to sprout.

Our new autumn season is here! And with it comes an extensive range of NEW and exciting spring-flowering bulbs. We simply cannot wait to show you what you can plant in your gardens this autumn. Here are just a few selections from our new range that you should definitely be growing this year.  Tulips 

Flowering bulbs make a wonderful addition to the garden, filling it with color and fragrance from early spring all the way through to mid-autumn.They take up very little space, work equa

Bulbs Dutch Grown, what’s this all about, well, I will tell you further down on the page.

Growing Bulbs in Water is one of the easiest indoor gardening projects to enjoy beautiful flowers on a tabletop or a windowsill. It’s super fun, and you can involve your kids, too, in that. So, check out the 8 Best Bulbs You Can Grow in Water with the instructions.

There’s more to your spring garden than daffodils, crocuses and tulips. Yet so embedded are these beautiful flowering bulbs in our gardening psyche that it’soften hard to see beyond them – which is a great shame. At this time of year, garden centres and nurseries are groaning with traditional spring flowering bulbs but also some far more exciting and arguably classier late spring and summer bloomers. Let’s take a look around and let’s get planting. Alliums

About the only good thing about a cold wind from the north is that it extends the flowering period of spring bulbs, but it also tends to be a dry wind, so it is worth giving your bulbs a long drink if you are in the path of the northerlies and  haven’t had much rain recently.  It may seem daft to be wrapped up in winter woollies while wielding a watering can, but it will make sure that the emerging tulips will continue to grow strongly and flower prolifically. .

With magnificent blooms in vibrant colors, amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp.)is the darling among forced winter bulbs.These frost-tender tropical plants are hard

The stunningly unique blooms of amaryllis can add dramatic color to your home and garden.Native to South America, tropi

Daffodil (Narcissus spp.) bulbs are hardy in cold weather and easily survive freezing winters in the ground – but there are those situations when you may want to lift your bulbs and store them until it’s time to replant.We link to vendors to help you find relev

Planting bulbs in Fall is more than just picking up a few bulbs from your local garden center. It’s a celebration of new life a joyous event that needs planning and preparation!

There’s nothing like waking up one late-winter day to a field of gorgeous crocus blooms in your own backyard.But when, exactly, do yo

One of my favorite early spring flowers is the yellow daffodil, Narcissus.And while today’s modern cultivated varie

Many bulbs may be used for forcing indoor blooms over winter, such as amaryllis, hyacinths, and paperwhite daffodils.But for something a little different, a pretty option to c

As the growing season winds down, it’s time to start planning your care and maintenance routine for fall, including how to prepare bulbs for winter.Flowering bulbs add gorgeous blooms and

Putting a bulb in the ground that may not be viable leads to disappointment more often than not.After planting, you eagerly aw