Home » Bulb Flower Garden

Spring Flower Gardens and Bulb Flowers

There is more to choosing bulbs than picking just a few different varieties in different colors. For the best result you need to consider the fact that even the the same flower has sub-varieties that bloom at different times. It's rewarding to use this knowledge to your advantage.

Take the common lily for example. This bulb flower has varieties that bloom from late winter to early summer. With proper planning you can have a blooming family member in your garden during the whole period. The same go's for the different tulip varieties. bicolor tulips

Smart planning and some basic garden design rules can make the difference between a "so, so" or a really smashing display of color in your spring garden.

There is more on spring bulb flowers and spring flower garden design to be found in our special pages

Technical issues regarding bulbs

Of course there are technical issues to consider when you shop for bulbs. Lets start with a breakdown of the most important issues.

Along with true bulbs, several types of flowers, sold as bulbs, grow from the underground stem growth of rhizomes, tubers, and corms.

True bulbs are rounded, self-sufficient, underground storage organs. True bulbs are an incubator for a flower bud embryo already inside.

Many Perennials stem from Tubers

Many perennial flowers grow from tubers, which are flat underground stems that store food and plant energy.
Corms are thick underground stems that produce the new roots, leaves and flowers of their cultivars.
Rhizomes are modified plant stems that grow horizontally under the surface of the soil. New growth emerges from several different points along each rhizome.
Tulip displays can take many forms and shapes and are only limited by your own imagination.
You'll notice order in the composition. It looks natural at first glance but them you see the design behind it.

Bulb Health

The first part in selecting healthy bulbs is to recognize the different parts

The tunic of a bulb is the paper-like outside of the bulb that protects it from damage and keeps it from drying out
The scale leaves are under the tunic and hold all the nutrients needed to grow the cultivar.
The first parts of the plant to push through the soil are the immature leaves, closely followed (or so we hope) by the flower bud and the stem.
The roots of bulb cultivars grow from the basal plate, which lies at the bottom of each bulb.
Healthy bulbs are firm, well rounded, and heavy for their size.
Although bulbs come in a range of colors, some even with distinctive patterns, color should be uniform with no dark patches or light splotches.
Discard any bulbs with weak spots or spongy area, which are signs of rot caused by disease or other damage.

"The bigger the bulb, the bigger the bloom" is a double-edged tip for selecting bulbs.

Fall Planting

First, it helps you select cultivars and decide where to place them in your spring flower garden. For instance, crocus and anemone bulbs are tiny imps that beg a front row or outside border seat, while giant tulip or daffodil bulbs stand tall in back rows or keep watch over the center of your garden.

Second, larger bulbs, within a particular species , are generally more robust than smaller bulbs and produce stronger, healthier plants and blooms.

Flower Bulbs give you the freedom to play with endless varieties of color, hue, shape and form and really obeying a few simple guidelines it's not difficult at all.

Spring Flower Garden Design Tips.

Container Garden Ideas

The container garden is one of the most diverse subjects we cover here at Gardening-Guides.com and an important part of both indoor and outdoor garden design. In fact, the subject is so vast that we find... Read More

Lasagna (Layered) Gardening

Bird, and Butterfly Garden

Water Gardening

Visit our own Gardeners Store it has all you need