Flowering bulbs produce beautiful plants and flowers but you need to know how to plant bulbs to get the best flowers. Planting flowering bulbs is fairly easy but the main trick is to make sure your soil is prepared well in advance. With a balanced soil, both pH and draining, you will have an ideal underground situation for your bulbs to flourish.
It is important to start out with healthy bulbs that are not withered, mouldy or dry. Additionally most times the larger in size the bulb then the more flowers it will produce. Most bulbs favour sunlight so you should choose a nice sunny spot to plant them in. It is alright is your chosen spot is a bit shady as long as they get at least 6 hours of sun a day.
It doesn't matter when you plant bulbs as long as the soil is not frozen. But for maximum root growth you should try to plant the bulbs before November (in the northern hemisphere). If you don't have freezing temperatures in the winter then you should investigate purchasing pre-chilled bulbs.
Remember, when planting, the pointed tip of the bulb goes up! The pointed end is the stem and if it isn't facing the right direction then it may take longer then you would like for the stem to emerge. It is tragic if they are planted the wrong way, as some bulbs are tricky to tell, but it may take a bit longer for you too see a plant.
If you want to promote root growth then you can sprinkle some superphosphate in the hole before planting. Large bulbs should be planted about 6-8 inches deep and smaller bulbs about 3-4 inches deep.
Sometimes animals may be a problem and eat your bulbs. It is possible to grow your bulbs in hardware cloth. The stem and roots can penetrate the cloth but the animals can't get to the bulb. Some people say that sprinkling red pepper in the hole with the bulb as keeps rodents away.
Once you have planted your bulbs you only need to water them if you notice the season has been particularly dry. Once the spring has arrived you will be pleased with the small effort you took in planting your bulbs correctly and have a flowering feast for the eyes,