Gardeners can help spring bulbs reflower at their best next year
Believe it or not, the future holds an event that will rival this spring for sheer glory.
It's spring.
Many of this spring’s crocuses, daffodils and other flowering bulbs will return in 2018 even bigger and better, with just a little help.
Although most bulbs don’t require much care after initial planting, you can take a few steps as they finish blooming to keep them happy.
Here are a few basic dos and don’ts to encourage future flowers:
■ Don’t braid, mow or cut foliage.
This year’s leaves make food for next spring’s flowers, so your future self will be grateful if you let the foliage mature and die naturally.
As unsightly as yellowing foliage might be, leaving it alone is the best way to encourage more flowers from the same bulbs next year.
Mowing or cutting too soon means less time for photosynthesis, which means less energy for flowers.
Braiding foliage reduces surface area, thus also limiting photosynthesis.
■ Do enlist other plants to hide dying leaves.
You have an ally in disguising straggly yellow leaves: annuals and perennials that are just beginning to grow.
As bulb foliage flops and starts to look raggedy, later-blooming plants are preparing to take off.
Bulbs can thrive in the same area with plants that have a later growth cycle, so this approach allows you to enjoy two rounds of flowers in one spot.
Day lilies, an easy perennial, are a classic choice for interplanting with daffodils. Day-lily foliage starts to rocket just as daffodils are declining.
Other perennials that get along well with bulbs include hostas, ferns and coneflowers.
Vigorous, sun-loving annuals such as marigolds and petunias can also hold their own against fading foliage.
■ Do cut or snap off dead flower heads.
This practice forces the plant to return energy to the bulb rather than expend it on creating seeds.
It’s easiest with largeflowered bulbs such as daffodils.
Although this technique helps maximize future flower production, it’s not essential. Many bulbs will return just fine even if you skip it.
■ With tulips in particular, don’t hesitate to be ruthless.
Tulips look elegant, come in a wide range of colors — and, darn it, aren’t reliably perennial.
Gardeners who have made their peace with this fact often treat tulips as annuals, pulling out the bulbs after the flowers finish.
If you’ve planted a variety that declines after the first year, or if you notice that tulips you planted several autumns ago no longer flower, yank them out.
A few kinds, however, can perennialize, especially species or wild tulips.
■ Do consider dividing bulbs, such as snowdrops or daffodils, that have formed dense clumps or that produce lots of leaves but few flowers.
Wait till the leaves are dying, then gently dig them up. You’ll probably discover that your original planting has multiplied into a family of bulbs.
To encourage the health of the plants and to enjoy more flowers without spending a cent, carefully pull apart the bulbs and replant.