Planting bulbs in grassland

Planting Bulbs in Grassland

In this lesson we focus on the naturalistic planting of bulbs in long grass, under trees and in orchards. Some of our favourite perennial bulbs for grasslands are crocus, narcissi, snowdrops, camassias and tulips.

Our Advice:

• Avoid regimented planting - scatter bulbs around and plant them where they fall.
• Plant narcissi by the end of September and tulips by the end of November.
• Plant the bulbs to a depth of two or three times their height.
• Use a robust bulb planter for narcissus and tulip bulbs; planters with a horizontal bar to jump on are the best for planting large bulbs; trowels and spades will work well for smaller bulbs.
• Take a photograph of the planted areas when the bulbs are in flower; this will help you add any new bulbs in the autumn without disturbing the existing ones.
• Do not cut down the leaves too early; they bring the goodness down to the bulb, so leave them on until they are really brown.
• To plant crocuses, remove a square of turf with a spade, scatter the bulbs, and then cover them again with the turf.
• Planting in grassland is much easier when the ground is not too dry.

Top Tip

• Mow the grass short by the end of November to encourage crocuses and snowdrops to develop.

Recommended Varieties:

Crocus:

• 'Joan of Arc'
• Tommasinianus

Narcissus:

• 'Actaea' (April flowering)
• 'Poeticus recurvus' (May flowering)
• 'W.P. Milner' (March/April flowering)

Tulip:

• 'Queen of the Night'
• 'Spring Green'

Plant Directory

Camassia

common names: camas, bear's grass, camash

Crocus

common name: crocus

Galanthus

common name: snowdrop

Narcissus

common names: narcissus, daffodil, jonquil

Tulipa

common name: tulip