Planting a bulb in grass



How to Plant a Bulb in Grass You can plant bulbs in grass and they will then increase and spread themselves. This is referred to as naturalising in gardening books. This workshop deals with planting individual bulbs - e.g. daffodils and tulips. Check out the bulbs you're thinking of planting before you buy. Bulbs planted in grass have to be left while their leaves die back after flowering. You have to leave the area of grass they're planted in until at least 4-5 weeks after flowering. This is a very informal style, and great for woodland areas.

Bulbs; a bulb planter or hand trowel; an area of grass to plant them in; bonemeal. Optional: labels to mark which type of bulbs you have planted where.

First cut the grass as short as possible. Clean the bulbs, remove any outer loose layers and old roots. Take a handful of bulbs and scatter them over the ground which you intend to plant them in. You want them to look natural or random, but make sure they are at least a bulb's width apart.

Lift each bulb in one hand and with your other hand, use a bulb planter to remove a small circular core of turf and earth. This should be 10-15cm deep, about the same as the height of the bulb planter.

Scatter a small amount of bonemeal into the hole, mixed with some of the soil from the core. Place the bulb in on top of this, with it's growing point at the top.

Take the small core of earth and break some of it up roughly, then push it down into the hole to cover the bulb.

Replace the top part of the core with the turf topping and firm it back into the ground. Take care not to damage the tip of the bulb. Brush any gaps in the turf with loose soil. Label your bulbs with their type and variety, so you can identify them before and after they flower. This is useful if you think you will want to move the bulbs in the future.

Lift a circle of turf where the bulbs are to go

Make the planting hole and sprinkle with bonemeal

Plant bulbs with growing tips uppermost and evenly spaced

Other Plants and Planting Articles
Mixed container planting		Moving a tree or shrub
Moving/dividing a perennial		Planning groups in a border
Planting a bulb in earth		Planting a bulb in grass
Planting a container		Planting a hanging basket
Planting a hedge		Planting a perennial
Planting a scented garden		Planting a shrub
Planting a trough of alpines		Planting a window box
Planting against a wall		Planting and staking a tree
Planting annuals		Planting climbers
Planting groups of plants		Planting in gravel
Planting in Water		Pruning a bush rose
Pruning a climbing rose		Pruning a fruit tree
Pruning a shrub		Pruning climbers
Pruning/trimming a hedge		Staking Perennials
Storing bare-rooted trees		Training/care for wall fruit