Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs In Hampton Roads

By Peter Breed, Class of 2010 Intern, Norfolk Master Gardener, October 2010

We all love the “Heralds of Spring” in our gardens, and now is the time to think about where to plant them. When the bulb displays start showing up at the big box stores in August, it is too early to even think about planting them in our area.

The determining factor for timing your planting is the soil temperature! Right now is a good time to order your bulbs, lay out the locations of the new bulb plantings on paper, take note of where things are in the garden and which plants flower around the same time as the bulbs do. Bulbs like good drainage, and most bulbs do best in a soil pH of 6-7. When the soil has cooled to a temperature of 60 degrees, the temperature is right for Narcissus to go in the ground. These bulbs are some of the better perennializers of the bulbs for our area, but some varieties come back better than others. Here are some of the better ones: Ice King, Ice Follies, Primeur, Pink Charm, Las Vegas, Fortissimo, and Bravoure. Also, many of the smaller species and the Tazettas do well here if they have some protection from the harshest cold.

Tulips must have soil temperatures closer to 55 degrees. At this temperature the roots are stimulated and start growing which keeps the bulb from rotting. By planting the tulips fairly deep we can prevent them from coming up too early, thereby avoiding the danger of a heavy frost. This way they will also get a more even cooling period, which will ensure a much more even display with tulips that are more or less the same size. Most varieties require a cooling period of around 12 -16 weeks.

Tulips need very good drainage. Also, some bone meal tilled into the ground is beneficial. I have had good luck with compost tea, as well; this will also help with fungal diseases in the soil, such as Botrytis and Fusarium. Make sure when planting that the hole is about 2.5 to 3 times as deep as the bulb is tall and

that the soil under the bulb is loose enough for the roots to easily penetrate it. Note that sometimes tulips have a skin around them that protects their softer insides. If this skin goes around the roots as well, use a knife to score the skin right where the roots are swol- len under the skin. This helps the roots get out into the soil; they do not have the power to break through the skin otherwise. For people that have problems with critters eating their tulips, you can use sharp gravel or a product specifically made for this use, such as PermaTill.

The early types of tulips are not hard to grow but do not toler- ate the warm days we sometimes get in the spring. The single late tulips (French) have a much greater heat tolerance and therefore will last best in the garden. In our climate it is hard to see tulips as perennials, but I have found that some of the smaller species will perform as perennials. There is one in particular called Tulipa clusiana ‘Tinka’ that will come back year after year. The problem for tulips in Nor- folk is not the heat of the summers, but rather the wet periods during these warm months, which cause them to rot.

Do not forget other, less commonly used bulbs such as Ipheon uniflorum, which naturalize very well in our area. Hiacinthiodes hispanica, also called Scilla, is a great com- panion of the later tulips. Muscari armeniacum also look great with their taller cousins and will return yearly.

So plant tulips this fall in several varieties and great abundance, and you will enjoy them all spring long.