Video: How to Plant Bulbs
Even though I’m on my winter column-writing break, that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped shooting videos for you! My newest video is on how to plant bulbs. In this case, I’m talking about planting spring-flowering bulbs. (see video near bottom of this post)
And before I forget, I also wrote a column last month for The Spokesman-Review about this very topic: Digging up variety for spring blooms, just in case you’d like to read it.
In the video, I talk about the specialty bulbs that I ordered this time around. They include the following:
(Note: I don’t have photos of all of them, so am linking to the listing on John Scheepers’ website for those. Also, remember that you can click on any photo to view a much larger image.)
Grape hyacinth (Muscari) ‘Golden Fragrance’ _ While I have hundreds of the traditional purplish-blue grape hyacinths (they multiple quite readily), I swooned when I saw this one in an online catalog! These bulbs have yellow flowers tinged in purple AND a fragrance! What’s not to like about that?
Allium nigrum _ Recommended by bulb expert Jacqueline van der Kloet, these alliums have lovely white flower heads. Height: 18-24″, hardiness zones 4-7.
Sicilian Honey Garlic (Allium siculum bulgaricum) _ Just to clarify, this is not an edible garlic! But I saw these bulbs in some of the English gardens I visited in May and fell in love with them. As you can see, they are pretty darned cool. Height: 32-36″, hardiness zones 6-10.
Camas Lily (Camassia leichlinii) ‘Alba’ _ I saw these blooming in several English gardens and absolutely fell in love with them! I think they look quite regal so am excited to see how they do in my garden. Height: 24-30″, hardiness zones 4-8.
Checkered Lily or Guinea Hen Flower (Fritilleria meleagris) _ If you’re not familiar with these, you’ll want to take a look because the petals have a checked pattern on them, which is quite unusual in nature. Height: 8-12″, hardiness zones 3-8.
Crocus tommasinianus ‘Lily Beauty’ _ This is a species crocus, also recommended by Jacqueline for being resistant to squirrels and other rodents. Since I hear from a lot of folks about this problem, I was excited to share news about this bulb with you. It comes in other colors but decided to go with this pink cultivar that has a violet interior. Height: 4″, hardiness zones 4-8.
All of the above bulbs are deer- and rodent-resistant.
Now, if you live in Idaho, the weird thing is that their agriculture department does not allow alliums to be shipped into the state. Sorry about that, and I apologize for getting you excited about the above alliums!
OK, here is the video:
In the video, you’ll notice I mentioned two tools I’m trialing for Gardener’s Supply: the Intervale long-handled and short-handled bulb planters. I am very impressed with how nicely they are made: they are sturdy and obviously meant to last for a very long time. If you are interested in checking them out, here are the links:
Intervale Long-Handled Bulb Planter
Intervale Short-Handled Bulb Planter
I also used the Intervale Plant Markers to mark where I’d put the bulbs. I always think I’ll remember that little details but no such luck! (and let me tell you, there is no worse sound than when you cut through a pre-existing bulb with a bulb planter, trowel or shovel!)
If you’re looking for sources for bulbs, here are a few: