Laidback Gardener Tip of the Day

Bulbs Like to Share Space

Bulbes printempsYou figure you don’t have room in your garden for spring flowering bulbs? Think again!

Spring flowering bulbs (tulips, crocuses, daffodils, etc.) actually require zero space in the flowerbed. They are ephemeral plants that sprout early and completely disappear from view after they bloom: not even their leaves remain. So don’t give them their own space in the garden, like you would with a perennial or shrub: that spot will just remain empty all summer. Instead, let them share space with other plants.

For example, plant your bulbs between or among other plants in your garden. Or if you divide or transplant a perennial, drop a few bulbs into the planting hole before you finish. The bulbs will emerge in the spring while the slower growing perennials and shrubs are still dormant.

Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career. Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.

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