September means ordering bulbs and preparing to plant in October and November. I plant bulbs in my garden every year to increase my varieties and numbers as I like to bring in fresh cuttings to enjoy. The average vase life of tulips is a good 10 days! But a lot of people ask which varieties I like best and which ones the deer will leave alone.
tulips
Tulips are my favorite spring bulbs, but consider this sweet deer. tulips willpower Attract deer to your property, so if you don’t have deterrents like fences and vicious dogs, forget about it. you could force them to bloom which means planting them in pots, storing them in a garage to cool, and bringing them indoors to enjoy in the spring. But if you don’t want to go that far, choose a large number of other bulbs that deer won’t eat.
I have a fenced garden that deer can’t access, so I grow a wide variety of tulips, and many I treat as annuals and pick every year. Growing them primarily for grooming, I want to try new varieties each year.
Tulips are becoming more showy and larger, and many people want them to come back. The secret to making fat tulips come back year after year is to plant them much deeper than the recommended 3 times the diameter of the bulb. Plant them 6 times Bulb depth: 8 to 10 inches deep. The cool environment at this depth will keep the bulbs cooler during our hot summers, they perennialize more easily, and you are less likely to disturb them when planting other plants.
Bulbs should be planted soon after arrival and when the soil has cooled to 55°F and night temperatures steadily drop to 40–50°F, but before the ground freezes. Planting about 5 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes gives the bulbs enough time for root development.
I love Longfield Gardens’ ‘Flirty Fleurs’ variegated bulb collections. These curated collections include a variety of different bulbs, including tulips, which bloom at around the same time and which can then be combined to create stunning arrangements. As a floral designer, these collections are to my liking and even if you don’t arrange the flowers, they make nice combinations together in the garden.
Deer and other vermin
Many people deal with deer raids and think the only bulb they can grow is daffodils. Daffodils are one of those that avoid deer but there are many others. Hyacinths are number one on my list for their fragrance and deer avoidance, and I often wonder why more people don’t plant them.
Here is my list of deer-resistant spring-flowering bulbs:
- hyacinths
- spanish bluebells
- Saffron
- Daffodils
- Alliums
- Leucojum (Giant Snowdrop)
- Iris
- camasia
- grape hyacinth
- snow glory
- Fritillaries
- Siberian Squill or Scilla
- snowdrops
- anemones
- winter aconites
When I plant bulbs, I always put chicken wire over them to prevent squirrels and other small mammals from digging them up. I only remove them when they are sprouting through the ground. This has worked wonders for many years.
Light bulbs in blue
Blue is one of my favorite flower colors and there are so many blue flower bulbs that deer don’t eat that I have many scattered around my property. If you have the space, I love this article on how to plant a spring blue carpet.
https://blog.longfield-gardens.com/how-to-plant-a-carpet-of-blue-spring-flowers/
One of the easiest blue bulbs to grow is the grape hyacinth (Muscari), which blooms for a long time and will multiply vigorously.
size matters
When placing the order I always look at the size offered. The larger the bulb size the better, which is why I avoid ordering from big box stores. Their bulbs are usually smaller than those from a reputable bulb house and I have also found soft or dry bulbs that are not viable, mainly due to improper storage. Many times the size is not even listed on the package. These are the sizes you should look for:
Tulips: 10cm – 12cm+
Daffodils: 12cm – 16cm+
Hyacinth: 14cm – 19cm+
Saffron: 4 cm – 5 cm+
Large Allium: 9cm – 20cm+
Small allium: 4 cm – 6 cm+
The bulb should have a good skin color, a firm texture (not soft or wrinkled), and be heavy in the hand. If the bulb is dry, it will be very light. When I buy some bulbs for half price at a store at the end of the season, I always open it, look at the box, and examine the bulbs closely. If I have any doubts, even a 50% discount is not enough to risk buying.
As soon as you receive your light bulb order in the mail, open it immediately and inspect the bulbs. If the bulbs are in plastic bags, I remove them and place them in a dark, cool, dry place until I am ready to plant. You can often request a shipping date that fits your planting schedule.
To get healthy bulbs with a great variety of all types, I always resort to Longfield Gardens. Their curated collections are the best!
