Bulb Planting

Part 2: Gardening with Bulbs

Tulips ‘Shirley’ and ‘Red Impression’ with purple Phlox subulata and early rose bush foliage.

Bulb Planting: tips, tools and shops

You have a bulb plan and are ready to plant!

Where could you purchase bulbs in the US? Here are a few places worth checking out:

My go-to Bulb Companies

John Scheepers - smaller quantities to its sister company Van Engelen, great quality and price

Van Engelen - same bulbs as John Scheepers (their sister company) but in larger quantities at lower prices

Brent & Becky’s - They breed their own daffodils in Virginia and have a good selection of bulbs and plants

Terra Ceia - A grower in North Carolina who offers bulbs and plants that are ideal for the south but also some for the north

Narcissus ‘Topolino’ is one of my favorite, as it pops up in early spring. It is seen here at Gilmore Gardens with Crocus ‘Spring Beauty.’

Bulb Planting tips and tools:

1. Plant bulbs after planting perennials

When you are making a new garden border, it makes sense to wait to plant your bulbs until the other things in the planting are settled. Have I broken this guideline before - you bet. But it makes sense to wait if possible. When I am typing up installation recommendations for my clients in their garden maintenance document, I advise them to wait until they have the bigger pieces into the design first, because there will be fewer bulbs displaced or cut in half that way.

First trees, shrubs and grasses; then perennials and ground covers; then annuals, ephemerals and bulbs.

If you are going to renovate an area, it makes sense to do that first in the fall if possible (split, divide, transplant, etc) before adding new bulbs.

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ are perennial in the Cottage Garden.

2. Tools

There are so many tools for planting bulbs. Some gardeners love the long handled bulb planter or the auger drill bit. If you are planting medium bulbs into prepared beds, then the planter or the drill bit will make that job very efficient. When you are growing in previously uncultivated garden areas or lawns, especially in clay soils, a basic shovel may be the best tool. The soil may need to be loosened after years of compaction by a mower. Larger bulbs, such as lilies and allium, will have a hard time fitting into the smaller holes of the bulb planter or the drill. When digging gets tough and you need to loosen the root area, go for a shovel.

My bulb planting dream team is my long-handled shovel, a soil knife and knee pads. My favorite hori hori or garden soil knife is the orange handled one by AM Leonard: Deluxe Soil Knife. It is tough, easy to find, and the one tool that I take with me every time I go out in the garden. I recommend buying two, because other people in your house may want to use it as well!

Knee pads are also really helpful as the weather turns colder. You can use pants with the knee pads (such as the ones I recommended in my winter workwear post), buy strap on knee pads, or use a foam pad. In any case, it really helps to keep you warmer when you have some padding between you and the cold ground.

Iris reticulata ‘Alida’ in the Cottage Garden at Havenwood in March.

3. Groups and Outliers