Don’t let their looks fool you

Flower bulbs, corms and tubers are sold in packages that usually display pictures of their flowers. This is because you can’t see from the flower bulbs themselves how beautiful they will be in bloom. So don’t let their looks fool you. Once the flower bulbs have been planted and benefit from the soil and some water, they will take on the starring role in your garden. What are now dry flower bulbs will be transformed into gorgeous flowers that make a garden sparkle.

In 5 steps

Because the flower is already tucked away inside its bulb, planting them doesn’t require green fingers. All it takes is five steps to guarantee success! Before you know it, you’ll be down on your hands and knees admiring the first green leaf tips emerging from the soil. And that’s just the start of delightful things to come.

Step 1

Dig a hole for a group of flower bulbs or make individual holes for planting single flower bulbs or smaller groups of them. The size of the flower bulb determines how deep it should be planted. Large flower bulbs (5 cm or larger in diameter) should be planted 15 cm deep and small flower bulbs (2.5 – 5 cm) 7 to 10 cm deep.

Step 2

Remove weeds and small stones and then work some garden mould into the soil to improve drainage.

Step 3

Press the flower bulbs gently into the soil with the point on top. Large flower bulbs should be planted 7 to 20 cm apart and small bulbs 3 to 7 cm apart.

Step 4

Cover the flower bulbs with the soil dug from the hole.

Step 5

If the soil is dry, sprinkle some water over the place where the flower bulbs were just planted.

Planting time

Flower bulbs should be planted from mid-September to mid-December. But what is actually the best time during these three months? When the temperature drops below 10 degrees, this is the time to start. When this happens, go ahead and start planting as many as you want. Make sure, however, that your flower bulbs have been planted before the soil freezes the first time.