Flower Bulbs to Plant in Fall
Flowering bulbs are the plant most closely associated with Spring. Not sure of that statement? Easter is celebrated after the Spring equinox and the white lily is the traditional Easter flower. If your goal is to have a yard full of flowering bulbs in the Spring, you’ll need to get started in late fall. Where to get them? There are many places online where you can buy bulbing plants easy enough, some sites even specialize in bulbing plants alone. However if you have a bulbing flower, they generally propagate themselves quite easily. Taking them out of their pot and separating them out is an easy way to grow the number you have for next year. In a future blog we will discuss doing this and storing them for next year. For this blog we want to introduce you to a list of bulbs you might want to plant yourself.
Bluebells (Hyacinthoides spp.)
Two bluebell plants are suitable for fall planting: English bluebells and Spanish bluebells. Wood hyacinth is another common name for bluebells. The plant will spread and produce many flowers giving amazing carpeting effects. Be careful while planting bluebells in a close area, you should plant them on the lawn near the tree.
English bluebells produce amazing flowers but can be sensitive to high amounts of sun and should be planted in a semi-shaded area. The flowers bloom only on one side of the stalk due to the flower’s weight stalk bending to that side. Spanish bluebells are a well-developed plant that can bare sun for more time as compared to English bluebells. They hold their ball stalks straight. Spanish bluebells lack fragrance. These species flower from the mid of spring till the start of summer.
- Soil needs: rich minerals soil, moist and well-draining
- Sun exposure: limited sunlight
- Color varieties: white, blue, and pink
- Growing zones 4-9
Dutch Iris (Iris x hollandica)
Dutch Iris are elegant orchid plants with various colors that bloom from little bulbs. Most flower bouquets are made up of Dutch Irises blooms. Dutch Iris needed rich soil. Plant the bulbs 3-4 inches apart otherwise plant growth rate will decrease.
One problem with Dutch Iris is that the flowers last for only two weeks. As cut flowers dutch iris usually only survive for five days.
Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)
A cluster of flowers blooms on the top of the stalk. These flowers look like a grape. Grape Hyacinth planted in the fall. If you see a few leaves emerge, don’t be surprised, and stay close by till spring.
For optimal development, the bulbs should be planted 2-3 inches deep. As the bulbs are so it is necessary to water them properly, they remain moist. Once they start to grow they do not need any special care. The bulbs multiply quickly, if you want to transfer to another place do this in late summer because they are in a dormant state. Grape Hyacinth can grow in limited shade as well as in full sunlight.
Lilies (Lilium spp.)
Lilies have the finest scent of any plant, and there are many different varieties to pick from. Almost 100 species in the Lilium genus are grown from bulbs having big flowers. The flowers came into different colors such as pink, red, white, yellow, and orange. Sometimes colored spots appear on the flowers. Flowers appear in different shapes; they may be a cup, funnel, or trumpet shape.
Fall is the best period to grow lilies. Plant Lillie in open and rich soil with decomposed organic minerals. Mulch at the base and water. Lilies don’t grow in standing water. Regularly water the lily plant in the first week.
In summer Lilies generally blooms, but you can increase flowering periods by growing different Lilium species that bloom at different times. For example, Asiatic lilies (Lilium Asiatic) flower in the early season while Turk’s cap Lilies start to open their flowers when Asiatic lilies are about to fade.
Wild Hyacinth (Camassia quamash)
Camassia is a genus of bulbs plants commonly known as Wild Hyacinth, Camas, and quamash. It is a perennial wild plant species often found in wild moist areas. These plants love to grow in full sunlight. Wild Hyacinth plants can survive for years if you fulfill their little needs. If soil is dry you should need to keep moist by watering regularly.
In early summer or late spring, star-shaped flowers bloom from the bulbs. While planting Wild Hyacinth in fall place each bulb 3-4 inches deep in the soil and make sure that the position of every single bulb is right upward. Then water the bulbs completely. Wild Hyacinth uses foliage to store essential nutrients. Blooms Color varies from species to species.
Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale)
Colchicum autumnale is a well-studied species of the genus. Autumn crocus is fall-planted flowers. You can plant Autumn crocus in the fall and then wait for it to bloom. Flowers last for up to two to three weeks. During the spring season, large leaves appear, and in summer heat these leaves disappear. In the dry summer, the plant stops their growth. When summer is about to end and in the early fall, large flowers (about 4 inches) appear in a cluster of 4 blooms on each plant.
As Autumn crocus are fall flowers, therefore don’t delay planting your bulbs too late. If you plant your bulbs early enough, there is more chance to get blooms in the first year. Autumn crocus requires full sun or partial shade to grow properly. It grows best in rocky mineral-rich and highly draining soil. Flowers’ colors can be pink, white, or lavender.
Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana)
It is also known as a Garden tulip. This species of bulb plants belong to the lily family and are grown as ornamental plants around the world, due to their beautiful large flowers. It is very hard to choose one tulip type for your garden because there are about 75 species with a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Tulip bulbs are planted in autumn. You can increase the blossom period by planting various tulip species with different bloom times. There are tulip species that bloom early to late spring. Tulip bulbs should be planted in the fall, approximately 6-8 inches deep in soil. Set the bulbs properly with the pointed end upward. Water immediately after planting. Tulips may survive in both full sun and partial shade, depending on the species.
Alliums (Allium spp.)
Some plants just need little care for their proper healthy growth. And Alliums belong to one of those plants which need little care for their normal growth. When they are in bloom you just need to keep their soil moist. In May and June Alliums normally start flowering and their flowers last up to five weeks. Alliums have tall varieties, medium varieties, and tiny varieties. Tall varieties include Gladiators, Mount Everest, they can grow up to 4 feet long and almost 6-8 inches balls of small flowers. Tiny varieties bloom in the spring season. While medium size includes Drumstick, Silicone Honey Garlic, and Purple Sensation. There are a few drawbacks while growing Alliums.
First, they are expensive and the second one sometimes plants degrade before ball flowering. You need
- Soil needs: slightly acidic and well-draining
- Sun exposure: Full sun
- Color variety: white, pink, purple, and yellow
- Growing zones: 5 to 8
