Commercial Lawn Care Tips For Planting Spring Bulbs

As a commercial lawn care service, Landworks can help with planting bulbs now for a beautiful landscape in the spring. We serve Shawnee, Overland Park, and all of Johnson County, KS, providing residential and commercial lawn care and landscape services. We plant bulbs in autumn because it allows them to winter over, which is a necessary process for spring blooms. Here we will share some information and tips about fall planting of spring blooming bulbs.

The right time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as crocus, daffodils, hyacinth, and tulips in the Johnson County, KS area is October through mid November. These plants must develop roots in the fall and need a dormant period over the winter in order to bloom in the spring. 

To plant spring bulbs, first choose a site with full sun to partial shade. Small bulbs are usually spaced 1 to 2 inches apart, and large bulbs 4 to 6 inches. Commercial lawn care services plant in irregular masses or clumps to produce a better display than planting individually. If you intend to keep them as perennials but want summer color, leave some room between them to interplant with annuals. 

Planting depth is critical if your goal is for the flowers to return each year. Follow the directions on the package, but as a general rule, a bulb is typically planted two to three times its diameter deep. After placing the bulbs at the proper depth, replace half the soil and water to settle the soil around them. Then replace the remaining soil and water again. 

There will be no top growth in the fall, but the roots are developing so soil needs to be kept moist but not soggy. After the soil has frozen, you can add mulch to prevent small bulbs from being pushed out of the soil by alternate freezing and thawing.

Most hyacinths will bloom for several years, but the size of the flowers usually declines gradually. When you are no longer satisfied with the blooms, the bulbs should be discarded and replaced. Crocuses and daffodils bloom reliably year after year and will multiply over time if growing conditions are adequate. Deadheading or dividing them is unnecessary unless they become overcrowded or you wish to spread them to another area.

Although they are technically perennials, tulips bloom their best the first year after planting. That is why the commercial lawn care secret to getting a tall, big mass of color or an even appearance is treating tulips as an annual rather than a perennial. After the tulips bloom in the spring, remove the bulbs and replace with summer annuals. To do this, plant the tulip bulbs about two inches deep instead of the normal depth of six inches from the base. This will give them enough room for root development and strong flowers, but make it easier to switch them out later.

For more information about commercial lawn care or other services from Landworks, click here or call (913) 422-9300.