Growing Bulbs
It is fun to pick great bunches of golden daffodils and bright tulips. These bulbs are coming into the stores now so let's plan ahead for glorious spring flowers and plant some together!
Choosing Bulbs
The easiest and most fun bulbs to plant are daffodils, and these are also fairly cheap to buy. You can probably afford to buy 5 to 10 with your pocket money if you choose carefully.
Always choose bulbs that are fat and healthy, without marks, wounds or mouldly patches. Dry, shrivelled bulbs may not cost as much but they usually don't flower very well, if they grow at all!
Where to plant
If you are planting in the flower or vegetable garden, you need to choose a sunny place that will not dry out in summer, daffodils don't like to be too dry!
Clear an area of the border of weeds and dig the soil. If it is a heavy, yucky soil then mix in some sand as bulbs do not like to get too wet, and sand will help the water to drain way.
You can choose to plant your bulbs under a tree or shrub that is deciduous- that is, it loses its leaves during the cold winter months. The daffodils will bloom in spring before the tree's leaves come, then the leaves will help to keep the bulbs cool. The tree will also soak up lots of water and stop the bulbs getting too wet.
How to Plant
Make a planting hole about 20cm deep and about 30cm across. You can add a small handful of compost to give the bulbs some extra food. Don't use fresh animal manure as this can have nasty bugs that will damage your bulbs.
Place the bulbs carefully in the planting hole, with the roots in the soil and the pointy end up. Plant about 4cm apart. Cover carefully with the soil.
So that you don't dig up the bulbs by mistake, write the name in your best writing on a plant label and mark the place. Now all you have to do is wait for spring!
Tulips come in lots of bright colours
Other Bulbs to Plant
You can plant lots of different bulbs. There are lots of choices, and lots of fun to be had!
Tulips come in wonderful bright red, yellow and orange and will mostly flower a little later than the daffodils. There are tall, short, dainty and fantastic 'parrot' shaped tulips.
 If you live in a cooler climate snowdrops are wonderful little bulbs- they flower even before winter has finished, and their little white nodding flowers will survive even in a snowstorm!
Bluebells are pretty and flower late in the spring. These can spread quickly so it is better to plant them amongst trees than in the flower border or vegetable garden where they can be a pest!
Among the smaller bulbs, crocus are known as the harbingers of spring. They come in lots of bright colours and are great in a pot.
 Next Page
Growing Bulbs in a Pot
Crocus, the harbingers of spring
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Daffodils are cheerful and really easy to grow! |
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Kid's Stuff - Understanding How Plants Work
Bulbs - the incredible storage scheme!
Bulbs are a unique form of plant life.
They are like a squashed, swollen stem or shoot that hides underground. There it is protected from cold winters and dry summers. The swollen stem is a food store-cupboard for the plant. It has enough energy to grow even though for many months it has no leaves to make food.
When the temperature rises in spring a green shoot will come out of the bulb. First the leaves come and then a flower shoot.
After flowering the plant will set seed but the leaves will still be making food to store for next spring! Bulbs increase by making seeds (if we don't pick the flowers first!) and by making little offsets called bulblets, next to the bulb. Your purchase of bulbs will increase each year until you have a whole host of daffodils to pick
Bulbs - the incredible storage scheme! |
Write labels in your best writing
Bulb Planting Depths
Warning
Narcissi/Daffodil bulbs are poisonous. Take care when planting with young children. |
Can't wait for spring! | |
