 Tulips
Daffodils
Hyacinth
Crocus
Allium
Lilies
Iris
Other Bulbs
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For a carefree, colourful display year
after year, let your bulbs go wild! Flowering bulbs will keep your
garden ablaze with colour when other plants are just emerging or have
faded. Naturalizing is the process of imitating nature with bulb
plantings. In nature, bulbs do not grow in rows. The flowers appear in
irregular clumps scattered over the landscape. There are several early
spring bulbs that naturalize easily in grassy areas. Some of these
include: crocus,
daffodils,
and tulips.
Getting Started
Before
deciding where to plant bulbs that naturalize, consider where your
landscape needs more colour at various times in spring and early
summer. By planting a combination of different species and cultivars,
you’ll enjoy a succession of bloom that lasts several months or more.
Also consider the garden setting and the effect you’d like to achieve.
In a woodland garden, incorporate bold, sweeping drifts of early spring
colour. The moist soils and shaded conditions are ideal for
naturalizing crocus,
daffodils,
and tulips.
These plants colonize vigorously and thrive under
deciduous trees.
 | In lawns and the front
of mixed borders, plant Hyacinths, and low-growing Alliums.
You also can tuck these bulbs into ground cover beds, such as ivy and
pachysandra, for colour and contrast.
Daffodils are a good naturalizer. However, since the foliage does not mature
until the end of June, many gardeners have a tendency to mow off the
foliage before its time. Therefore, it is wise to naturalize daffodils
in an out of the way location where lack of mowing can be tolerated. |
For rock gardens, entryway locations and other areas where close-up
detail is desired, choose small Crocuses,
Chionodoxa Forbesii, Groundcover Tulips,
and other bulbs with diminutive blooms. Plant them in small clusters at
the corners of beds, in crevices between rocks, or between later
blooming garden plants.
Caring for Naturalized Bulbs
Naturalized bulbs require very little care.
Simply let the foliage die back naturally to ensure that the plants
have had ample time to recharge their bulbs so they can produce flowers for the
following year. The foliage can either be removed by hand or left alone
to fade on its own. If you’ve naturalized bulbs in your lawn, keep in
mind that the foliage cannot be mowed off until it dies down naturally
or the bulbs will eventually die out. An exception to this is the
foliage of crocus which
can be mowed in midspring.
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In early spring, top-dress any bulb area with a balanced fertilizer,
such as food for bulbs to ensure vigorous flowering.
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How To: Landscaping with Bulbs: Naturalizing
