Planting Tulips for Spring Enjoyment
If you like spring flowers in your garden, autumn is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs. Spring-flowering bulbs must be planted in the fall because they require a sustained dormant period of cold temperatures to stimulate root development. This year, I ordered approximately 2,500 mixed bulbs from Van Engelen Inc., a company I've been dealing with for years. My gardener, Ryan, and his crew have found many empty places in the garden where spring flowers will be a delight. I also wanted tulips planted in the terrace garden off of my kitchen and here are some photos of that bulb planting project.
1 It's always exciting when the spring flowering bulbs arrive in the autumn. This shipment came from Van Engelen, a company that imports quality Dutch bulbs.
2 I ordered Fritillaria Michailorsky, Tulip Humilis Violacea, and Crocus Chry. Blue Pearl.
3 And Gladiolus Communis Byzantinus and Fritillaria Meleagris
4 And Ornighogalum Nutans Silver Bells and Allium Pinball Wizard
5 And Hyacinthoides Hispanica Exelsior
6 Van Engelen and John Scheepers are sister companies owned by the family of Jan S. Ohms. Jan was a third-generation Dutch flower bulb specialist who grew up in the Dutch bulb fields and spent his entire adult life importing and selling flower bulbs in the US after moving here from Holland.
7 Van Engelen's Bantam, CT warehouse begins to fill up with flower bulbs in mid-August, when the first of dozens of refrigerated containers arrives from a two-week Atlantic crossing.
8 Stored in the temperature and humidity controlled warehouse, the flower bulbs are held until the full inventory is complete and the busy fall shipping season begins in mid-September.
9 Outdoor planting flower bulbs are shipped through Thanksgiving.
10 Tender Amaryllis and Paperwhite bulbs for indoor pots of gorgeous flowers are shipped through the winter, as long as inventory is available and night time temperatures permit.
11 Van Engelen offers flower bulbs in larger quantities with wholesale pricing, while John Scheepers offers the same high quality bulbs in smaller quantities.
12 The tulip bulbs for the terrace garden were sorted and place in bins. I wanted each section of the herb garden planted with a different color. These are Tulip Spring Green.
13 According to the Van Engelen catalog - This award-winner is ivory-white with soft green featherings and light green anthers.
14 And Tulip Virichic
15 This jaunty beauty has an elegant, almost Lily-like form and exotic coloration. It opens dreamy pale rose with tawny yellow highlights and green flames and matures to a darker purplish-pink with green flames.
16 And Tulip Golden Artist
17 An award-winning sport of Artist, Golden Artist is a rich golden-orange with green featherings.
18 And Tulip China Town
19 Highly awarded, it is phlox-pink with darker pink spots, carmine-rose edges and moss-green flames. Its foliage is variegated with whitish margins.
20 This long border was to be planted with a species tulip called Ice Stick.
21 Officially classified as a Kaufmanniana Hybrid, this clusiana-like tulip is white with a spreading yellow base and purplish-rose petal segments.
22 The herb garden had been cut back to make planting easier. Gyurme is a fast digger and planter.
23 The like-colored tulip bulbs were laid out evenly across the bed.
24 The soil in the terrace garden very easy to dig and a small hand-held bulb planter works quite well.
25 With very little effort, Gyurme pushes it into the soil.
26 And out it comes. As far as depth goes, the general rule of thumb is to be certain that the top of each bulb is covered with 3" to 4" of top soil
27 A bulb is placed in the bottom of the hole, point side up. This is very important as the point is the growing tip where the plant shoot emerges from.
28 The soil from the bulb planter is emptied back into the hole.
29 And patted smooth
30 Time to dig another hole
31 Depending on bulb size and soil conditions, there are a few different bulb planters to choose from. On the left is a hand-held for large-size bulbs. In the middle is a standing bulb planter, which is good for tough soil. And the red handled one is for smaller bulbs and easy soil.
32 Bone meal, an excellent source for phosphorus, is an important soil amendment when planting bulbs.
33 Because there are so many bulbs planted, Ryan applies the bone meal to the top of the bed after the bulbs are planted. He puts it in a bucket for easy scooping.
34 He then sprinkles it lightly over the soil.
35 And then gently rakes it into the surface of the soil.
36 The bulbs are planted and fertilized and now we just have to wail until spring. How exciting!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
I just know you can't wait to see all that hard work done by your gardeners start to grow and bloom..
I still haven't planted those replacement bulbs I received a few weeks back. I need to get on the ball and get it done. Because of the squirrels, I'm thinking about planting in pots and covering with wire.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | November 16th, 2012 at 12:28 am
Martha, that is so exciting! I can't wait to see the spring photos! Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | November 16th, 2012 at 12:31 am
I can hardly wait for Spring! Many years ago I combined pink hyacinth with an almost black tulips and white tulips. That planting was quite striking. The Tulip in picture #19 should create a very showy planting.
Sleep well little bulbs, we will see you in a few months.
Have a great day, Martha.
Sharon
Posted by: Sharon | November 16th, 2012 at 6:35 am
I've always loved tulips but unfortunately we don't have enough of a cold winter here in South Texas to successfully grow them. I can't wait for Spring to see yours Martha, it's going to look so pretty!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Posted by: Cindy F | November 16th, 2012 at 8:09 am
Great inspiring photos to look at on a frosty morning in November. How many years do you think you will get out of this latest planting?
Posted by: Tina | November 16th, 2012 at 8:38 am
Hi Martha, WOW! This is another wonderful reason that your beautiful Bedford farm looks so awesome in the spring! I love seeing the planting activities that Gyurme and Ryan are doing on this blog and the tulip bulb planting that F&S did on their blog today, also!!!! You sure have a lot of those beautiful bulbs that you shared with us today and the photos of what they will look like in the Spring are stunning! This is very inspiring and I think I will get some bulbs to plant very soon! That bone meal looks like a great addition to this planting! Everyone of these photos and information is outstanding and your farm looks better and better as time goes by! Sure hope you have another great day and a fabulous weekend! Hope the weather continues to improve, also! Thank you to Laura also for all she does so that we can enjoy these blogs always! Off to see The Daily Wag about "Planting Tulips for Beauty!" Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | November 16th, 2012 at 9:30 am
I would love to plant some bulbs, any kind of bulbs, but like Cindy we don't have the right weather here in south Florida. Trust me, I tried it and got nothing but then I read about putting them in the fridge and then planting in pots. Maybe next year because it's too late to order any. Maybe our Home Depot carries your Amaryllis and Paperwhite bulbs. I'll check it out but I have my doubts. Well, it's always nice to see your flowers in the spring but not quite the same as having my own. Thanks much for the bulb planting lesson and have a nice weekend, hopefully with your grand babies! Trish
Posted by: Trish | November 16th, 2012 at 9:48 am
I planted my tulip bulbs just last weekend. I planted them all in pots and the pots are sitting on the round, glass top garden table on my deck. I had enough pots to nearly cover the entire surface. The pots are all of different sizes and colors. I packed each pot full of bulbs and planted them in a good garden soil with Bulb Booster mixed into the soil. I'm looking forward to having a beautiful display of all different shades and varieties of tulips on the table in the spring. I think I will have a New York style Stand-up Cocktail party on the deck and patio in the spring so that all my friends can enjoy what I hope turns into a spectacular display. Martinis and cosmos on the deck anyone!?
Posted by: John Newman | November 16th, 2012 at 10:20 am
Hi Martha
Wow, your garden will be beautiful when these bulbs of varieties of tulips blow.
I'love having tulips in my garden, but in Brazil the weather is not so good for them. It's too hot.
Posted by: Maria Lúcia | November 16th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Dear Martha,
I always look forward to seeing what you are planting each fall. Thank you for sharing! The selection and placement of the bulbs is something I look forward to seeing. Also, because you are a teacher, I thought you might like to be aware of a citizen science project where each fall, teachers and students in schoolyards across the northern hemisphere plant tulip bulbs in their "Journey North Test Gardens". When the plants emerge and bloom, they announce that spring has arrived -- and you could join in and do the same for your farm in Bedford. (I do not expect you to post this publicly, but I knew you would want to be aware of this educational project). Thank you again for your beautiful and informative posts.
Posted by: Julie | November 16th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Martha, I adore the gorgeous phlox- pink tulip with the variegated foliage in photo #19. No surprise that one is an award-winning variety. The most beautiful tulips I ever had bloom for me were generous-sized pale pink traditional tulips in the Martha Stewart brand about seven years ago. We planted them in total shade with minimal ground preparation; and in spite of what I understood would be only a single year of blooming, those amazing tulips bloomed for three consecutive years. I think about them every spring. Thanks for showing us some of the more unusual new hybrids and colors.
Posted by: Mary K. | November 17th, 2012 at 2:40 am
Over the years I have planted hundreds and hundreds of bulbs. The only ones that are still with me are the daffodils. The woodchucks, etc don't like them so they have lasted years.
Posted by: Sandie@afoodieaffair.com | November 17th, 2012 at 10:16 am
Hi Martha
I have a question? Love your spring project! I have a project that I am working on for an entrance to our small town. It is a natural beautiful Tri-angle 1-1/2 acres with cleared woods and green spaces. I need help with designing a natural flow of flowers and color spring through fall. We are located in northern Indiana. Could you recommend who I might go to for design? I would appreciate any direction you could give me to help make out town more beautiful. Thank you, Renee Gabet
Posted by: Renee Gabet | November 17th, 2012 at 11:07 am
I would love to plant tulip bulbs on my terrace but I have a squirrel pest who comes and digs out all my plants. Any suggestion how to get rid of the squirrel? I tried " squirrel off" spray but it didn't help.
Posted by: anna from Brooklyn | November 17th, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Hi Martha,
Your Terrace Garden is going to be so lovely with the different bulbs,I planted some Snow Drops in my Garden and I dug up all my Irises and then replanted them after dividing them and gave lots away and also planted some colors I didn't have-Looking forward to spring to see my flowers blooming-I look forward to seeing all your spring flowers blooming in the spring too-Your gardens are going to be so beautiful too-Happy Thanksgiving- Fran
Posted by: Fran | November 17th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
Beautiful and very informative post. Thank you Martha
Wish you a wonderful weekend xo
Posted by: Rowaidaa Flayhan | November 17th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Exciting indeed...and i love your color selections of tulips. It will be fun to see them all in bloom!
Posted by: sherey | November 17th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
.
Underground Secrets
.
Dear Mother Earth has clapped her hands for joy,
"Put your tulips to my two lips and we can be coi."
She revels when bulbs from Holland start as a tiny beam,
Then expands in someone's eyes to a beautiful dream.
Arriving to give Thanks, planted deep to welcome spring.
The heart of the dreamer, a coy smile, for the joy they'll bring.
Gyurme begins the magic of planting, the bulbs laid in array.
Scoops of precious arable earth where the herb garden lay,
To a depth of four inches, bulbs point south with a frown,
Then the top soil replaced and a final pat down.
Ryan adds more magic with the miracle of bone meal,
Sprinkling lightly then raking gently will make it real.
The herb garden has a backdrop of enchanting elder trees,
Mother Nature holds the key to life and aims to please,
But it's a long long time from October to May.
The quality of earth, the rain, the sun have a role to play.
But dreamers have a happy heart, and trust in Fate,
And with excited anticipation are prepared to wait.
.
.
Posted by: celiastock | November 18th, 2012 at 10:31 pm
HI MARTHA, I LOVE TULIPS ,HAPPY HOLIDAY
Posted by: fior | November 21st, 2012 at 5:31 pm
Dear Martha,
I love tulips and thank you for reminding me to plant my bulbs now. My garden is small but full of color in the Spring. I also just started reading your blog. I follow you on Twitter and watch your show (when it's airing) and now I'm going to start reading your blog. It's a gorgeous blog and so much fun to comb through and read all the different entries. The pictures are breathtaking. Thank you for bringing so much joy to my life. You are such a special lady. Happy holidays!!
All my best,
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa Gordon-Miller | November 23rd, 2012 at 6:12 pm
To everyone with squirrel/burrowing rodents: dig your bed and then line it with chicken or cattle wire, then continue as usual. I find that much easier and cheaper than pot, and most effective and long-lasting. Easier still, crushed eggshells and seashells are sharp and will detract the little buggers if mixed in with the soil (not just on top). Two tablespoons per square foot should do it. Also, many of my bulbs are planted in a rock garden...no digging there
. Finally, if you feed the squirrels they won't need to dig for food.
Posted by: Kristina Powell | November 29th, 2012 at 9:21 am