Bulbs of the South: a what/when/where to have beautiful blooms in your garden this spring
NOVEMBER 22, 2024
If you want your garden to stop people in their tracks, plant tulips in Houston.
I can't tell you how many conversations have begun with a neighbor walking past saying “I had no idea you could grow those in Houston!”
And it's true - tulips don't naturally grow here in Houston BUT you can trick them into blooming by keeping them cool for 8+ weeks prior to planting.
Whether you have bulbs in your fridge that will be ready to plant soon, or you've shopped or will be shopping the Bungalow Blooms collection of pre-chilled bulbs, here's an overview of what you need to know to grow tulips, daffodils, musicari, and hyacinth in Houston!
01. Timing
Start by ensuring your bulbs have been in a cold fridge for at LEAST 8 weeks
shameless plug - the BB pre chilled bulb collection is 25% off right now with code BB25
Then, plan your planting window: ideally bulbs are planted mid December thru early January.
You can do it one of two ways - you can plant ALL your bulbs at one time for a HUGE spring show, or you can plant a group every two weeks for a more spaced out display.
If you're using your bulbs in your landscape, I'd recommend planting all at one. If you're planting them in raised beds and/or for cut flower use - try a staggered planting (I'm doing Dec 11, Dec 18, and Jan 1 for anyone curious) but make sure to mark where your bulbs are planted so you don't dig them up once they've started to push roots.
02. Spacing
Bulbs require VERY LITTLE space - in fact the closer they're spaced, the bigger the impact.
Nestle bulbs like “eggs in a carton” with the pointy sides up.
PS - the farmer move is to dump them all out and rake them to ensure they're spread out, but not take the time to put them all pointy side up. Just another example that plants just wanna grow!
03. Watering
Bulbs need an access to moisture to break dormancy. If you're planting in a dry bed, water them deeply when you plant. If your soil is already wet from irrigation, you can give bulbs a light watering.
THEN STOP WATERING - bulbs are very prone to rot, so I hold off watering until I see green tips break the soil surface. On the off chance they haven't broken through the soil surface AND we haven't had rain for over a week, I'll water with the garden hose!
Once you see green growth, start watering regularly - for me that's 2-3 times per week. Bulbs need moisture for the best stem length and bloom size!
PS - got your bulbs planted in a mixed bed with plants that NEED irrigation? Turn your irrigation down to just 2-3 days a week and spot water the plants that need additional water with the hose as needed!04. Planting Outdoors
Once your bulbs have finished blooming, you can add them to your garden or landscape.
Before you do this, make SURE your bulb is actually done blooming. Often amaryllis and paperwhites will push an additional bud or two after the first one is removed!
To prepare to plant your bulb outside, remove blooming stems, leaving the leaves.
Plant amaryllis bulbs with their neck out of the soil, and paperwhite bulbs a few inches deep. Mark their location so you don't forget while they're dormant, and look for blooms next year!
04. Then what?
Harvest + Post Bloom Care
Tulips can be harvested when their bud shows color - they will continue to open and grow indoors.
Alternatively, you can leave them in the ground, enjoying their blooms in the garden.
No matter what you do, when you remove the plant from the ground, pull out the whole plant - bulb and all.
Since we don't have the chill hours required for tulips to naturalize, if you leave the bulb in place it will either rot or send up one measly leaf next year - but it'll never bloom.
Fresh bulbs need to be repurchased every year! This year's bulbs are on sale NOW, click the link below and use code BB25 to save 25% off pre chilled bulbs!
If you're in the Autumn Grow Along, you'll get tons more details around planting and care in your inbox on December 1!
Not in The Grow Along, but want the deep dive on bulb planting in Houston? Enroll in the Bulb Planting Mini Course!
JOIN THE BUNGALOW BLOOMS NEWSLETTER
If you’ve enjoyed this, our newsletter delivers a mini lesson weekly to your inbox. We only email when we have something important to say and respect your privacy + inbox space.
Bungalow Blooms partners with affiliate platforms where commission may be earned based on clicks and or purchases, and I would love it if you decided to use the links above! Affiliate links help me to fund free content.