Bulb Flower Spacing
Bulbs are a fantastic method of bringing color to the garden. They are easy to plant and easy to look after so long as they are planted at the right depth and spacing. There are many hundreds of varieties of bulbs for you to choose from and they come in a huge range of colors and sizes. Does this Spark an idea?
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Small Bulb Spacing
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Small bulbs such as the miniature varieties of daffodil, snow drops and tulip do not need so much space as the larger varieties. Planting them with one bulb width between each bulb is sufficient so long as they have several inches of good quality soil beneath them. If the bulbs are to be planted in a shallow dish then they will need to be slightly further apart. Small bulbs need to be planted at least three bulb lengths deep in the soil to prevent flowers from falling over.
Large Bulb Spacing
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Larger bulbs such as amarylis and the giant allium often look more striking in the garden when they are planted individually, this way their huge flowers really stand out. If you wish to plant a group, leave roughly two times the width of the flower head between each bulb to ensure they have enough room for their large root system and bigger blooms. For medium-sized bulbs leave two bulb widths between each bulb.
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Bulbs in Clusters
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As with many plants in the garden the smaller and medium bulbs look better when they are planted in small groups or clusters. There should be no less than 5 bulbs together in one cluster for the large flowers and 8 for the smaller ones. Try to keep the distances between the clusters random as well unless you are aiming for a regimented formal garden design.
Bulbs in Containers
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Bulbs grow very well in containers so long as you remember the plants are totally dependant on you for water and nutrients. When planting in containers, the bulbs need to be three times their own length deep and with one bulb width spacing between them. This means you will need to have different bulbs at different levels is you are growing more than one species. Try to make sure your shallower bulbs are not directly above the deeper ones other wise they may be dislodged when the deeper ones start to grow.
Bulb After Care
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So long as your bulbs are well spaced and have room to grow but are close enough to look good together, then they should be reasonably undemanding. They will need little more than watering in dry weather. Bulbs that are only going to be used for one year then thrown away do not require fertilizer as they have enough food stored in the bulb itself. If you wish to use them again the next year then fertilize every 10 days during the growing season, stopping when the leaves start to die down.
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References
- Photo Credit red and yellow tulips image by Jorge Moro from Fotolia.com
