Planting More Spring-Blooming Bulbs
If you live in the New York City area, daytime temperatures are expected to be in the 40s and 50s this weekend - a good time to plant those bulbs.
My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been hard at work planting spring-flowering bulbs around my farm. The bulbs are from Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs, a third-generation wholesale flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. Yesterday, they tackled the beds around my Japanese Maple Woodland and the areas near my hoop houses and chicken coops. They planted snowdrops, Spanish bluebells, and crocus. They will all look so marvelous come spring.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Bulbs are packaged in batches of 50, 100, 500, and a thousand. They come in these breathable sacks and crates. They are also packed in paper bags, boxes, and plastic pouches depending on the bulbs’ humidity needs. They must be kept moist without being wet.
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- On this day, Ryan and Phurba plant bulbs at the edge of my Japanese Maple Woodland, which continues to show off its vibrant fall colors.
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- For planting smaller bulbs, my gardeners use T-handled dibbers, which are pressed into the soil to make narrow holes.
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- Bulbs come in different sizes and forms. Shown here is a Galanthus bulb, or snowdrop. True bulbs can be either tunicate, with a papery covering or non-tunicate without the covering.
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- Galanthus start out as small bulbs that produce a delicate white bell-shaped blossom atop a sturdy rich green stem.
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- Each bulb is placed in a hole about three to five inches deep. The dibber is perfect for planting these bulbs.
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- On many bulbs, it is easy to see which end is the top and which end is the bottom.
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- Bulbs are always positioned with the pointed end faced up, or root end faced down. This is very important, so the plant grows properly from the bulb. Here is a bulb positioned perfectly.
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- And look who came to help, hello my “Blue Boys.” My peacocks and peahens are very friendly and very curious.
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- This is a crocus bulb. These show a flattened shape, slightly pointed head, and a tunic covering. The bulbs are firm in texture and can be identified by their fleshy scales and small hair-like roots.
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- Crocus blooms are early season flowers that pop up usually in shades of white, yellow, and purple.
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- I plant crocus in many areas around the farm. They look beautiful planted en masse. And over time, these bulbs will naturalize and multiply to produce more flowers every year.
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- These bulbs are Spanish Bluebells, which Ryan plants in another bed not far from my allée of lilacs.
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- Spanish Bluebells, or Hyacinthoides hispanica, are shade-tolerant plants that bear spikes of lightly fragrant, blue flowers.
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- Ryan carries bags of bulbs to their designated beds and plants them in batches.
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- Ryan uses the auger attachment to make holes. The ground is a bit hard from the recent cold, but it’s still workable.
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- Ryan applies pressure to make the holes about four to six inches deep. Holes should be about three times the bulb’s width and depth.
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- He makes a series of holes in the space first, being very careful not to poke any bulbs previously planted in the area.
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- Here is a bulb positioned correctly in its hole. If it is planted upside down, the flower will still grow, but it will likely take a bit longer.
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- Ryan plants an entire section before backfilling, so he knows what holes he has planted.
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- Once a section is done, Phurba backfills and drops bulbs in any holes that are still vacant. The crew is excellent at planting, and works in an efficient assembly line process. The team is getting the job done, but there are still thousands of spring-blooming bulbs to plant!
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