Nothing heralds in spring like the splash of colour and fragrance from spring bulbs. Bulbs are fun and easy to grow but here are a few tips to give you longer lasting floral display and guaranteed success.
Bulbs need a period of consistently cold temperatures to kick them into action. Placing your bulbs in the fridge for up to 6 weeks before planting especially if you live in areas where you have a warmer climate will ensure that once planted they will burst out when the temperature of the soil starts to warm up. Always use either a paper bag or a plastic bag with perforations so that the bulbs can breath and they won’t go moldy.
To extend the length of your spring bulb display stagger the planting of your bulbs which will give you a continuous display. Anemones and Ranunculus planted every 2 weeks from the end of February can give you flowers from late winter through to early summer.
To create an indoor bulb display and to bring the fragrance of spring into your home plant your bulbs in a pot that you can bring indoors once the flowers appear, these will last far longer than cut flowers. Bulbs growing in glass vases are also a fun way to have bulbs indoors. This is commonly referred to as forcing and is best done with Hyacinth, tulips, crocuses or daffodils. Place you bulb with the tip pointing up in a bulb vase (bulb vases resemble an hour glass) or a narrow vase with pebbles in the bottom for the bulbs to sit on. Fill the vase so that the bottom of the bulb is just touching the water. Place this in a cool dark place for 6 to 8 weeks, the fridge is ideal but don’t place it in the rear where it can be frozen. Keep an eye on the water level. Once you see the root structure develop and the leaf tips emerge remove it from the fridge or cool dark place and place in a semi sunny position. Keep the water topped up and enjoy watching the flowers bloom. Always use new bulbs when forcing them and then plant them out in your garden for next season. This is a fun thing to do with kids.
Plant the Daffodils 8-10cm deep, 8-10 cm apart in well worked soil, preferably in a sunny, free draining position. If drainage is a problem, plant shallower and mound the soil over the bulbs. Never cut back or remove the foliage until it has died down naturally.
The size and quality of you bulbs will also determine your success of your booms in spring. Palmers specify larger grades of bulbs from our supplier that are bread to be resistant to diseases. Rigorous grading checks ensures that the bulb is of the highest quality which is why we can confidently provide you with our Guaranteed to Grow promise.