The weather has been perfect for bulb planting – and continues to be so raining just in time to water bulbs planted in the Entry Garden last week.
So many visitors ask me while planting ‘What bulbs are those?’ I did a mix of tulips & daffodils as seen above, with a splash of smaller bulb gems yet to be planted.
Before planting we always try to keep preparation in terms of cutting back existing perennials to a minimum. Here, peony stems as well as veronica & yarrow were selectively cut to allow planting of bulbs between plants. We also work off boards, especially when the soil is wet, to allow for dispersement of weight over a greater surface area, which helps prevent compaction of the soil.
These bulbs are prepared and laid out for planting – the question is how deep?
The next question I get asked is how deep should I plant daffodil & tulip bulbs? Minimum 6″, but 8″ is even better for daffodils and standard tulip bulbs. Species tulips are much smaller and are planted at a depth of 4-5″.
The most popular plant in the garden which I get asked about this time of year, aside from bulb planting advice, is Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Early Amethyst’ (Beautyberry) found in the Show Garden covered in beautiful amethyst fruit.
about the author: Sandra Pella
Sandra Pella has worked as Head Gardener of the Toronto Botanical Garden since 2008. She holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, and upon graduation worked in the financial sector until the pull of plants was too much to resist, whereupon she found herself at Janet Anderson Perennials (formerly JEA Perennials) as a horticultural technician. She has been the Perennial Manager at Summerhill Nursery & Floral followed by the Assistant Horticulturist at the TBG prior to its renovation. Sandra worked as a Gardener for two seasons with the City of Toronto as well as seasonal Gardener for the TBG prior to being named Head Gardener. She is self-taught in the field and thus greatly appreciated the experience a gardening internship in 2009 at Great Dixter in the UK brought to her. Sandra has a regular What’s In Bloom blog and is one of the spokespeople for the TBG.
