Flower Bulbs

What should I do after tulips fade in spring? What about daffodils?

This is a question that came up when speaking with my sister last night on the phone. According to the International Flower Bulb Centre (www.bulb.com):

“After tulip flowers have faded, "dead-head" them by clipping off the faded blooms so that they won't go to seed. Narcissi (daffodils) do not require dead-heading, just leave as is. The main requirement for bulb flowers in the post-bloom period is to leave the leaves alone so the plant can put its energy into "recharging" its bulb for next spring's performance. This "energy charge" is gained through photosynthesis as the plant uses the sun's energy to turn basic elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium into food. This food is stored in the bulb's "scales," the white fleshy part of the bulb, for use next spring.

It is necessary to leave the green foliage exposed to the sun until it turns brown or six weeks have elapsed since blooming. Fight the urge to trim back or constrain the leaves during their die-back phase after looming. Don't bunch, tie, braid or cut bulb plant leaves during this period. Dealing with the fading foliage is basically one of those things that lovers of spring bulbs must deal with. The only management tip is camouflage.”

Another thing that can be done to help preserve flower bulbs is to dig them up every few years. Of course, you should dig them up after the leaves have completely died off, then place them in a shallow tray and cover them completely in dry peat moss, dry sand, or dry vermiculite. Store the tray in a cool dry place until the autumn, when you are ready to plant again. The same thing should be done every year with summer flowering bulbs. In the autumn, when planting Spring flowering bulbs, remove your summer flowering bulbs and trade places in your bulb storage (www.flower-garden-bulbs.com/storingflowerbulbs.html).


Spring flowering bulbs (Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinth, etc.) should be dug up every few years because they multiply. In the photo on the left, the bulb on the left has already grown a new bulb but has not been divided yet. You can see that the one on the right has begun to grow a new bulb, but will not be ready for division for another year, perhaps two.

I have a friend, Chrystal, who found a giant mutant of a daffodil bulb that had been planted many years ago, but had never been split. Because of the growth of the daffodil, and it multiplying (or having baby bulbs), this thing had turned into something looking very strange. We were able to divide the single unit into about 35-40 individual daffodil bulbs which she stored and planted in the autumn for a great bloom the following Spring.

The Beginning

Well…this is the beginning. To explain a little about myself, I love gardening. I have loved it for many years and will continue to do so probably long after arthritis takes over my joints and does not allow me to physically participate in it any longer. At that time I will probably poke my grandchildren with my cane or walker and tell them to work in my gardens for me.

For me, gardening is an art. It is beautiful. The things that can be created out of the earth…from soil, water and seed…can be breathtaking as well as stunning to the senses. For this purpose, wherever we have lived, I have tried to produce gardens that catch the eye as well as bring simple pleasure to those who may enjoy the spot.

As a teenager and young adult, I worked for a plant nursery where I gained most of my knowledge and experience in botany. I was encouraged by my employers to grow things at home so that I had a first hand knowledge of the things which we sold. As years passed, I tried many things in the gardens at my parents’ house in Virginia. Some things worked really well, others did not. Some things worked well in the pleasant springtime, but suffocated in the sweltering summers of the Virginia Piedmont. Other plants did well in the summer, but suffered the moment the weather started to cool.

These were interesting years as I began to experiment in the garden and discovered the things that I really enjoy about my own gardening. I love grass. I prefer tall fescue because grass is meant to be walked on, not looked at from a distance. Tall or high fescue is a fairly strong type of grass that is resistant to lawn diseases. It also shows lines very well when mowed at 1½-2 inch height (8-10 cm). I enjoy bluegrass and Bermuda grass (both short grasses), but feel those are best left to the golf course fairway. Not great for children playing on them.

I love flowers. I love flower gardening and that became my specialty. When it comes to my garden, I usually do not have a specific colour scheme rather, I enjoy all of the colours that flowers can bloom. I especially loved Rose gardening. Over several years of work I became, at least in my own mind, an expert Rose gardener.

Now I live in Belgium. The soil is very different from that of my native Virginia clay. The climate is different than Virginia. But I still love gardening. Currently we are renting our house, so we are not allowed to do any sort of permanent gardening to the yard, so we are experimenting with what is called “container gardening.” You have a lot of containers, planter boxes, buckets, old shoes (haven’t used those yet), or anything that can hold soil and plants and use it. It can be interesting, but for the most part, it gets you outside into the sunshine, breathing fresh air. It is very therapeutic, but it also really enjoyable to look at a garden that you have created and appreciate the work that you put into making something beautiful.