Spring - The Season of Growth
Gardenzilla presents tips on maintaining a beautiful
blooming container of bulbs this spring.

Emerging buds are a sure sign of spring and there is nothing more brilliant than a container full of bold colorful tulips or daffodils. Fall is the ideal time to plant bulbs, but once spring bulbs bloom there are a few steps to take in maintaining your flowers.

Gardenzilla’s wide variety of containers are the perfect complement to masses of eye-catching flowers. Bulbs are well suited to container culture, adapting easily to all shapes, depths and sizes. You can treat bulbs grown in containers much like those grown in the ground. For the most eye-catching design, plant them in heaps of a single variety or large groups of the same color.

It is easy to keep up a blooming container in the spring. Cool days and nights mean it is not necessary to water your flowers very often and the mild temperatures extend the bloom period.

Here are a few tips from Gardenzilla on planting bulbs from start to finish:

• Preparing Soil: It is essential to plant bulbs in soil that has good drainage. Either drill a few holes in the bottom of your container (Gardenzilla containers conveniently come with drain holes pre-drilled) or fill 2 or 3 mesh onion bags with Styrofoam peanuts and place them at the bottom of the container. Mix bone meal in with your soil at planting time for good bud development.

• Fertilization: Fertilizer needs to be mixed in with the soil to compensate for the bulbs being planted 6 to 8 inches below the surface of the soil. Fertilize the bulbs monthly until they begin to bloom.

• Planting Location: For an early bloom put your container of bulbs where it will have southern exposure. Because spring bulbs bloom before most trees and shrubs begin to get their leaves, it is ok to place your containers under or around trees.

• Planting Depth: Plant spring bulbs two to three times as deep as the bulb is tall. Large bulbs will be planted approximately eight inches deep while small bulbs are best placed three to four inches deep. Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths should be planted with the nose of the bulb upward and the root plate downward.

• Watering Bulbs: To settle the soil, water bulbs immediately after they are planted. In the spring start watering the bulbs when the first flower buds appear. Remember the bulbs are 6-8 inches under ground so it is important to give them enough water to soak down to that depth. Never water directly on the bloom and continue to give your bulbs an inch of water per week if it has not rained.

• Keep Your Bulbs to Use Year After Year: As spring bulbs finish flowering, deadhead them by cutting off the dead flower heads as well as 1 to 2 inches of stem. To build up nourishment in the bulbs, continue to water the remaining stems and leaves on the plants. The leaves can be removed once they turn yellow and are easily pulled loose. At this point you can either keep the bulbs in the ground to bloom again next year or dig the bulbs and replant them the following fall.

If you decide to leave the bulbs in the ground it is important to spread mulch over the dirt to keep the temperatures moderate. And remember, a bulb should never be left in the ground for longer than five years.

If the choice is to dig and store your bulbs, it should be done when the leaves on the plants have turned yellow. Carefully dig the bulbs out of the dirt and wash off any remaining soil. Dry the washed bulbs in a shaded area and then store them out of the sunlight preferably at 60° to 65°F. Avoid letting the temperature get below 50° or above 70°F. Keep your bulbs separated by species and they will be ready in the fall to be separated or divided and replanted.