Light bulb moments
It’s bulb catalogue season, and DERYN THORPE feels like a kid in a lolly shop. Jump on board the bulb bandwagon with these planting ideas
As a gardener, few things are more pleasurable than planning the next round of planting combinations, and imagining a succession of bulbs flowering in late winter and early spring. I usually buy extra, as bulbs make a thoughtful Easter gift and, unlike chocolate eggs and hot cross buns, they’re kilojoule free, with each little parcel fulfilling the Easter promise of new life. If I don’t gift them all at Easter, Mother’s Day provides me with another opportunity. Either way, they’re a present that delivers twice – at the time of giving, and again when they bloom.
There are lots of ways to incorporate bulbs into your garden. Here are a few ideas, from planting up pots to creating a brilliant succession of coloured blooms in beds over a period of months.
the wow factor
Bulbs grow just as well in pots as in garden beds, and if you don’t have many bulbs, pots are the way to go. A handful of bulbs on their lonesome look, well, lonely. You want at least 12 in each pot. In garden beds, plant as many as you can afford, and try the old trick of scattering or rolling them to see where they land, to give you the natural look.
You might opt for a mass display that flowers all at once, giving you a spectacle, or aim for a succession of colour, as they do at Canberra’s Floriade, where bulbs bloom in waves during the month-long show. Planning a succession of blooms is more challenging in hotter climates.
Most traditional spring-flowering bulbs don’t like the heat, so the selection is restricted to early-season bloomers.
If you don’t want to dedicate an entire garden bed to a spring bulb display, try establishing them among shrubs and perennials. For this approach, use bulbs that naturalise easily, including daffodil, babiana, freesia, spring starflower, Dutch iris, Spanish bluebell, snowflake, sparaxis, ixia, chincherinchee and Scilla peruviana, which look lovely under trees, around shrubs and among dormant perennials.
It’s fun to experiment with combinations, and sometimes the unexpected ones are the best. In my Perth garden, beneath an Indian cedar tree, I have a mass planting of pale grey ghost succulents (Graptopetalum paraguayense), which yellow daffodils burst through in July. The daffodils are followed by a massed display of spring starflower (Ipheion uniflorum), then in late summer and autumn, mottled foliage and delicate, pale pink flowers of Cyclamen hederifolium and C. graecum push through the gaps.
I always plant 50 or more corms of both ranunculus and anemone through my rose beds, as they are inexpensive, flower over a long time and produce masses of bright blooms for the vase. Just remember that ranunculus corms are planted claw down and anemone point down. In good soil or pots, they may flower over several years.
The general rule is to plant bulbs in the ground at a depth that is 2–3 times their height, and slightly deeper in hotter areas. They can be planted in mid April in cool areas, but if you’re in a hotter place, such as Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth, wait until the soil cools in mid May.
If you want to grow tulips, which demand the coolest conditions, buy them early, as tulip bulbs germinate sooner, grow taller and flower earlier if pre-chilled for up to eight weeks in the crisper of the fridge.
potted perfection
Any bulb can be grown in a pot, and this is my preferred way to display the more expensive ones that you might only buy by the handful, such as hyacinth and tulip, as small groupings can get lost in a garden scheme. The same goes for dwarf bulbs, such as grape hyacinth and crocus.
Containers must have drainage holes or the bulbs will rot. If you’re going to group pots together, choose a harmonious colour palette but select different shapes and sizes to create more display options. Generally, the bigger the bulbs, the bigger the pot.
Choose premium potting mix and plant the bulbs so the sides are almost cheek to cheek for an abundant display. Two or more varieties can share a deep pot if the bulbs are layered with enough mix between each layer. Bulbs are sold with height, width and bloom-time information. Evaluate the eventual height of each plant and when they flower. If you aim to create a multi-layered display that blooms at the same time, it can be tricky to pull off, but it’s incredibly satisfying when you do.
Depending on the weather, early tulips flower 6–8 weeks after planting, the mid varieties take 8–10 weeks and late tulips bloom in 10–12 weeks. With other bulbs, early varieties generally flower in July and August, the mids in August to September and the late ones in September to October, but my paperwhite jonquils bloom very early in June, so expect to be surprised!
When you’re planting two or more varieties in the one pot, half fill it with
premium potting mix and place the tallest and latest-flowering bulbs in first. Cover the bulbs with mix, then position your next layer, and backfill. The bigger bulbs, such as tulip, daffodil and hyacinth, should be covered with at least 10cm of potting mix, and smaller bulbs need about 3–5cm.
To add interest, plant annuals on top of the bulbs, as the blooms will emerge through the foliage. Suitable choices include sweet alice (alyssum), dwarf Virginia stocks, pansies and violas. Water well and place pots in semi-shade in an inconspicuous part of the garden. While you don’t want them sodden, potted bulbs most often fail due to under-watering.
Once green shoots emerge, sprinkle on complete controlled-release fertiliser and move them to a spot with at least half a day of direct sunlight. When buds appear, transfer them to a prime position by the front door or entertaining area so you can admire them and take photos.
When the flowers are finished, fertilise again and continue watering until foliage yellows, then you can cut them back if you wish. Bulbs can be stored in the pots or in paper bags in a cool, dry place until the following year. Potted tulips and hyacinths are unreliable second-year bloomers.