• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Layering Flower Bulbs

November 12, 2012 by Jeanne

 

Yesterday, we planted 250 flower bulbs in the garden. I use a technique called layering for continuous spring color. It’s fairly simple, but requires you to do a little bit of thinking about when each of the flowers bulbs is expected to bloom. You plant the ones requiring the deepest planting hole at the bottom and layer other bulbs over them, like making a layer cake or a lasagna.  But the bulbs that you choose to plant in the same hole should bloom at different times. Early spring bulbs include snow drops (galanthus), crocus, Glory of the Snow, some types of hyacinth, early spring species tulips and several others. Think small, woodland, natural-looking flowers. The mid spring blooming flowers are usually daffodils and certain types of tulips. The late spring blooming flowers are almost always the large, showy tulips that most of us love.  I’m also quite partial to Dutch iris, and planted 100 more yesterday (okay; I guess that means I’m a tad bit more than partial to them!).  The Dutch iris bloom the latest, flowering here in my zone 7 southern Virginia garden in late May to June.

The way that I planted the bulbs yesterday should mean that we’ll see crocus and snow drops first, followed by the Easter Joy Darwin hybrid tulip mixture.  Lastly, as the tulip flowers fade and the green stems and leaves are left, the Dutch iris should take over and complete the show. By the time the spring flowering bulbs are done their work, it should be time for me to plant annuals. In the area of the garden where I planted the bulbs, I hope to add more sunflowers next year of varying heights, and more zinnias.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « Christmas Cactus in Bloom
Next Post: Easy Seed Saving Techniques to Save Money »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

a watering can next to a seed tray on a sidewalk

What Veggies Can I Plant Now?

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

butternut squash growing in a raised garden bed

How to Grow Butternut Squash Organically

Learning how to grow butternut squash organically ensures you know how to grow this tasty, nutritious vegetable in your home garden. I’ll share with you some basic information on growing butternut squash, followed by some organic gardening tips that have been helpful for me here at Seven Oaks Farm in dealing with the various pests…

Read More

herbs in a pink dish

How to Make the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea

Make the perfect cup of herbal tea, right from your own garden! In May, I gave two free talks on how to grow, harvest, dry, and create your very own herbal teas. This lecture proved so popular that I recorded the narration and uploaded it to YouTube. You can view it below: Supplies to Make…

Read More

tent caterpillars on a pear tree

How to Get Rid of Tent Caterpillars

I spent last Saturday morning getting rid of Eastern tent caterpillars from the apple and pear trees in the orchard here on the farm. Malacosoma americanum, the Eastern tent caterpillar, is a regular visitor each spring. We first spot the shimmery webs on a clear spring day. The small ‘tents’ built by the caterpillars quickly…

Read More

kale growing in a raised bed

Replenishing Raised Bed Garden Soil

Raised bed vegetable garden soil soil needs to be replenished periodically. If you’ve done your job right and selected great soil, and amended it with nice compost, you’re going to have super garden soil for the first few years. Because you don’t walk on a raised bed garden the way that you do with typical…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme