Planting Crocus, Galanthus, and Spanish Bluebells
If you haven’t yet planted your spring-blooming bulbs, try to get it done soon.
Planting bulbs can be a a very labor intensive task. Every autumn, we plant thousands and thousands of bulbs here at my Bedford, New York farm. Over the last couple of weeks, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have planted bulbs along my winding pergola, beneath my allee of linden trees, in the gardens outside my Winter House, and in various spots throughout the Japanese Maple Grove. Different planting methods are used depending on the area, the size of the bulbs, and the amount of bulbs selected for the space. My sources include two Connecticut companies - Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs and Van Engelen Inc. Wholesale Flower Bulbs.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Nearly every garden bed is planted with new bulbs each fall. These beds are beneath my linden trees adjacent to my dovecote and peafowl pen. When to plant bulbs differs from one climate zone to the next, but in general, it is best to plant them a few weeks before the ground is expected to freeze.
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- Always be sure to add the proper bulb food to the bed. It should be a balanced fertilizer that has a good amount of phosphorous. Fertilizing spring-blooming bulbs also helps them fight off diseases and pests.
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- Ryan mixes a trug bucket full of Bulb-Tone and Bone Meal and sprinkles it evenly throughout the gardens.
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- For smaller bulbs, we use dibbers specifically made to create narrow deep holes. Here are two types – one with a pointed tip and one with a more rounded tip.
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- Ryan and Phurba are planting hundreds of Crocus ‘Tommies’ bulbs from Colorblends. All the bulbs are packed according to transport needs. They must be kept moist without being wet, and planted soon after arrival or stored in a cool, dark place until planted.
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- Crocus ‘Tommies’ are purple-pink early spring bloomers. The four-inch tall plants have egg-shaped blooms that open wide in the sun. Planted en masse, they create a carpet of color in late winter or very early spring. (Photo courtesy of Colorblends)
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- The crew is excellent at planting, and works in an efficient assembly line process. For these bulbs, Phurba first makes one hole and drops one bulb into the hole about three to five inches deep.
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- Then, Phurba uses the tip of the dibber to position the bulb, so it is facing up with the roots facing down. Don’t worry if it is accidentally placed upside down – the flower will find its way. It will just take longer.
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- Lastly, Phurba backfills the hole.
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- Bulbs are also planted in my Japanese Maple Tree Grove. I love this part of the farm. Over the years, I’ve planted hundreds of Japanese maples in this area.
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- At the edge of the gardens, Phurba and Brian plant Spanish bluebells, Hyacinthoides hispanica – shade-tolerant plants that bear spikes of lightly fragrant, blue flowers. These bulbs are also quite small.
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- This is what they look like in bloom. These flowers are bell-shaped and about three-quarters of an inch long. They prefer full sun in cooler climates and partial shade in warmer climates to avoid scorching. (Photo courtesy of Colorblends)
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- These holes made with the dibber are perfect for these medium-sized Spanish Bluebell bulbs. The general rule of thumb is to plant a bulb three times as deep as the bulb is tall.
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- Phurba places the bulb in the hole, always pointed end or sprouted end faced up. Phurba pushes it down, so it is at least three to five inches deep.
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- Here, one can see which holes are filled and which ones are not. For these, Phurba fills an entire space of holes before backfilling.
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- Once all the holes are filled, Phurba carefully covers them all up with soil.
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- We also planted hundreds of galanthus bulbs, or Snowdrops. Snowdrops are the early spring white flowering bulbs that open between January and March. Our snowdrops are from Van Engelen Inc. located in Bantam, Connecticut.
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- Galanthus, or snowdrops, start out as small bulbs that produce a delicate white bell-shaped blossom atop a sturdy rich green stem.
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- Galanthus ‘Hippolyta’ is an award-winning British hybrid featuring pendant, somewhat round, densely compacted, double white flowers with green spots, interior green petals with white margins and green-gray foliage. (Photo courtesy of Van Engelen Inc.)
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- Galanthus ‘Nivalis Flore Pleno’ is an heirloom double snowdrop. The flowers show double layers of milky-white, drooping flowers tipped with green. (Photo courtesy of Van Engelen Inc.)
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- And this is Galanthus ‘Elwesii.’ This is a great variety for naturalizing in the garden. It is a large-flowering Greek native, circa 1874, that has broad, ivory flowers tipped green with gray-green foliage. We have just a few more left and this bulb project will be complete for the year. And then we can move on to the next big fall task – covering all the outdoor planters and boxwood shrubs with burlap. There’s always lots to do in autumn at my farm! (Photo courtesy of Van Engelen Inc.)
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