Tag: General Flower Care

Growing flowering bulbs in containers allows you to cultivate tropical species like canna lilies even if you live in chilly, northern climates.

When winter rolls around, you can also dig up and store your bulbs in pots for the cold season before planting out again in spring.

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Alocasia, alliums, amaryllis, canna lilies, colocasia, crocuses, daffodils, dahlias, hyacinths, irises, peonies, ranunculus, snowdrops, tulips, and many more can be overwintered in containers.

To clarify, not all of these plants technically grow from bulbs. Some have tubers or corms, but they can all be stored the same way.

The challenge with overwintering bulbs in containers is that if the temperatures are too warm, or there is too much direct light hitting the pot, the bulbs may start to come out of dormancy.

In addition, some species, like daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths, require a period of chill hours to break dormancy in the spring.

Chill hours refers to the amount of time the bulb is exposed to temperatures between about 34 to 45°F, depending on the species.

Some species need an extensive chill period. Daffodils, for example, require up to three months.

Research your specific species to know what special requirements they might have, and if you’re overwintering them in containers, make sure you keep in mind their needs.

Whether you dig up the bulbs, corms, or tubers, or they are already growing in a pot, there are a few steps you need to take to keep them healthy and ready to thrive the following spring.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

Choose and Prepare Your Container

If your bulbs are already growing in a container, you can skip this section.

But if you are choosing the growing container or moving your plants from the ground to a pot, you’ll need to do some preparations.

Pretty much any type of container will work. It can be a nursery pot or a fancy cement one.

The one requirement is that whatever pot you choose must have one or more drainage holes. If moisture builds up inside the container it can cause your bulbs to rot.

Next, make sure that the container is clean. If you’re reusing an existing pot, be sure to wipe it down with hot, soapy water or a 10 percent bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water) before use.

Then, get your hands on an appropriate potting mix for the species you are growing.

In-Ground Bulbs

You can remove tender bulbs growing in the ground and put them into a container to protect them during cold winters.

You don’t need to dig up species that are hardy enough for your USDA Hardiness Zone.

Digging up the bulbs generally should be done just before the first freeze of the season. You don’t want to dig them up too early, but you don’t want to wait until it has become too cold or the ground has frozen, either.

Start digging straight down, leaving a perimeter of four to six inches around the foliage. Dig about six inches to a foot deep, depending on the species.

Daffodils and tulips tend to be fairly shallow, while crocus corms can be quite deep, for example.

When you’ve dug around the entire perimeter, gently lift up the clump and knock away the soil to locate the bulbs. Clean them with a soft brush, being careful not to cause any damage.

Set them aside in a cool, dark area where they can cure for a week.

Now, you can fill the container with a suitable potting mix and bury the bulbs at the appropriate depth and spacing for the species, but don’t water! The goal is for them to stay dormant until you’re ready to wake them up in spring.

You can leave the pots outside if it’s warm enough for the species and if your winters aren’t too wet. If it rains often and the potting medium will be constantly soggy, or if the temperatures drop too low, store them in a garage, unheated basement, or shed that stays above freezing.

The benefit of this method is that they’ll be ready to take outside as soon as spring rolls around and you can choose to keep them in the container or remove the bulbs and put them into the ground.

For gardeners who live in an area with a short growing season, you can jump-start growth indoors in early spring by moving the container next to a south- or west-facing window and adding a small amount of water.

When the temperatures are high enough for the species you’re growing, you can take the container back out to their growing area and either replant them in the ground or keep them in the pot.

Potted Plants

If your plants are already in containers, the winterizing process is much easier.

For tender species, all you need to do is wheel or move the container to an unheated garage or basement. A shed or greenhouse will work, too.

Essentially, you want to find a place that will stay around 40 to 55°F but won’t even drop down to or below freezing.

Trim back any remaining foliage to about an inch above the ground. The foliage is just a drag on the plant at this point and leaves it open to fungal issues.

If you want to be extra careful, treat the soil with copper fungicide soak before moving the pot into storage. This will kill fungal pathogens hiding in the soil and reduce the chances of problems in the spring.

Bonide Copper Fungicide

You can find Bonide Copper Fungicide in 16-ounce concentrate from Arbico Organics and mix it according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Drench the soil with the mixture.

When that’s done, move the container into your chosen area. Make sure no direct sunlight is hitting the container. There’s no need to water the plants during the cold months.

Move the container back outside as soon as the weather is warm enough for the species you are growing, typically above freezing for tender species.

For species that require chill hours, you can simply leave the container in place assuming that your climate is appropriate for the species. If not, you’ll need to move the container to an area that drops just below freezing but not colder than the bulbs can tolerate.

This might mean moving to an unheated garage or shed. Sometimes a spot next to a south-facing brick wall is warm enough because of the heat that is absorbed by the wall when the sun shines on it.

When the temperatures are consistently warm enough for the species, you can move the pot back to its usual spot. You’ll rapidly see green shoots develop.

Don’t Let Winter Cause Problems

Flowering bulbs produce some of the most beautiful and reliable blooms and foliage. But harsh winter weather can destroy all those pricey bulbs unless you store them appropriately.

What flowering bulbs are you growing? And where do you live? Let us know all about your set-up in the comments.

And for more information about overwintering your flowers, check out these guides next:

Blood meal sounds like something out of a horror movie involving zombies and vampires. But your garden bulbs must be fans of the macabre because they love the stuff.

Give them some blood meal at the right time, and they’ll be growing better than ever.

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No, your bulbs aren’t secretly vampires. They don’t need blood to survive, but they do need certain nutrients, particularly nitrogen, to allow them to maintain stores of the nutrient to support the plant all year long.

Blood meal comes in a powder form that you can apply to the soil to provide your bulbs with the nitrogen they craves.

Coming right up, we’re going to discuss when, why, and how to apply this fertilizer effectively to make your bulbs grow their best. Here’s what’s on the menu:

What Is Blood Meal?

If you’re squeamish maybe skip this section.

Blood meal is dried blood that is made into a powder and sold as a fertilizer. This powder is applied to the soil in order to provide nutrients.

Typically, it comes from leftovers from the livestock and meat-processing production industry.

Instead of discarding the blood that is produced during meat production of animals like chicken, pigs, cattle, and lamb, it is collected and processed by dehydration.

The blood can be dried using chemicals, or it might be heated in a dehydrator, kiln, or oven. It can also be dehydrated through solar drying.

By the way, feather and bone meal are also created out of slaughterhouse waste. Bone meal is a good source of phosphorus and protein, while feather meal provides nitrogen as well.

What Does It Do?

Blood meal is an efficient, bioavailable source of nitrogen for bulbs. It contains 10 to 15 percent nitrogen, plus smaller amounts of iron, phosphorus, and potassium.

It is primarily composed of hemoglobin, which is an iron-containing protein found in red blood cells. In the human body, hemoglobin helps to carry oxygen. In the soil, it adds nutrients that the plant can absorb.

By comparison, feather meal and seabird guano both have 12 percent nitrogen.

Fish powder, another less-commonly used ingredient, has about 13 percent, but it’s expensive to produce, so it’s less popular than the other options.

Any of these ingredients might be added to fertilizers to provide nitrogen to a more complete feed, or they might be used independently.

Benefits

There are a lot of benefits to using this icky-sounding product. Blood meal is acceptable in organic farming practices.

So if you’re growing garlic, lilies, or tulips on an organic farm, don’t worry. Using this fertilizer won’t negate that designation.

It’s water soluble so it can be delivered through the soil and into the roots, making it more available to the bulbs. It also continues feeding for up to six weeks after application.

While it’s not as effective of a deterrent as products formulated specifically for the purpose, blood meal can help to deter deer.

It also increases beneficial microbes like good fungi and bacteria in the soil. You wouldn’t choose this product solely to improve soil microbes or deter deer, but those are an added bonus.

We know that this product helps with bulb growth in particular, thanks to research conducted on plants like onions.

One study, published in the Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research in 2021 noted that the application of blood meal increased bulb yields by over 32 percent in commercial onion farms.

Drawbacks

While blood meal may deter some animals, it can attract others. Raccoons and possums might come looking for that wonderful smell and end up digging up your garden.

The family dog might also be enticed, particularly if you have a Labrador retriever – and consuming it could give Fido some intestinal issues.

There is some evidence to suggest that the nitrogen in blood meal is too readily available to plants and so it isn’t necessarily the best source.

I know that being available sounds like a good thing, and it is, to a certain degree. But when nutrients are too readily available, they may be absorbed too quickly and can cause fertilizer burn or need to be replenished frequently.

It also increases acidity in soil, so if you use it regularly in large amounts, you’ll need to monitor your soil pH and amend it accordingly to keep it within range. This is especially true if you’re growing plants that are sensitive to the wrong pH.

Most gardeners only use this fertilizer once or twice a season when growing bulbs, so the above shouldn’t be too much of a concern.

Where to Buy

Blood meal is generally easy to find at big box stores and garden centers. Many online vendors carry it along with other fertilizers.

Blood Meal

For instance, Arbico Organics carries Down to Earth’s excellent product in eight-ounce, four-, 20-, and 50-pound packages.

How to Apply

For bulbs you plant in the fall that flower in spring, feed them in the fall at planting time.

Those that go in the ground in the spring that will flower either right away or later in the year, fertilize as you plant them.

In other words, the rule of thumb is to apply blood meal at planting time. Don’t add this fertilizer to the hole when planting, always add it to the top of the soil around the plant.

For perennial bulbs that stay in the ground and flower in spring, like tulips and daffodils, feed in the fall before the ground freezes to give them the energy they need to build up the nutrient stores.

You can also add another dose in spring, as the shoots start to appear.

Before you add any food, it’s smart to test your soil. After doing a soil test, you might find that your soil has plenty of potassium and phosphorus, so you don’t need a balanced fertilizer.

You might only need nitrogen, which is just what blood meal is good for.

If after a soil test you find that nitrogen is the only requirement, add a teaspoon for each bulb, on the top of the soil.

You can either mix it with water and then add it to the soil or you can simply sprinkle it on the soil and water it in.

If you also need some phosphorus, add a teaspoon of bone meal. For potassium, add a half teaspoon of langbeinite.

Bigger Better Bulbs

Most bulb plants are nitrogen-hungry, and blood meal is a good source of this nutrient. It’s a match made in heaven!

What kind of bulbs are you growing? Let us know your setup in the comments section below.

Did this guide help you figure out how to put this powerful product to work in your garden? I hope so!

If you’d like some additional information about caring for your flowering bulbs, we have a few other guides that you might be interested in, including:

Botanists and gardeners typically use a lot of jargon, but they don’t always explain what these terms mean.

I remember the first time I heard someone reference a “flowering flush” and I wasn’t sure if we were talking about a toilet and what that had to do with flowers.

By the end of this guide, you’ll understand what this term means, how to encourage flowering flushes, and which plants exhibit this type of blooming habit.

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Flowers develop as a way to attract pollinators and start the process of reproduction.

Plants are signaled to bloom by the number of daylight hours, ambient temperature, or because they’ve reached a certain stage in their life cycle.

Different species vary in the way that they flower, the timing, and the length of time they remain in bloom.

Here’s how we’ll help you make sense of this phenomenon:

Botanists will also talk about leaf and shoot flushes. This refers to the emergence of leaves or short periods of rapid shoot growth.

For example, a tree might have a flush of vegetative shoot growth, followed by a flush of leaves budding, and later a flush of flowers.

In other words, the word is synonymous with an overall burst of growth. Let’s talk more about what the term means.

What Is a Flush?

A “flowering flush” is when a plant is in full bloom with a majority of its flowers open for a limited time. Whether it’s for a few days, a week, or nearly a month, a flush is the period when a plant is blooming.

This is different from a plant that blooms continually. Many annuals bloom nonstop from spring through fall, with new flowers constantly replacing the spent ones.

This flowering habit isn’t considered a flush, which is when a plant blooms for a limited time and then stops.

Fuchsias and marigolds, for instance, bloom continually throughout the year.

Many plants, such as hydrangeas and clematis, will have multiple flushes each year and others, like peonies and rhododendrons, only have one, but in both cases there is a distinct period of time when the plant is not in bloom between the flushes.

Some species, including delphiniums and lupines don’t naturally put out a second flush, but they can be encouraged to do so if they are pruned back.

This term is typically used for flowering perennials, with roses being one of the prime examples.

Many of the most popular rose cultivars flower repeatedly throughout the growing season. We’ll talk about some other species that exhibit this type of blooming behavior in just a bit.

How to Encourage New Flushes

Some plants will flower repeatedly without any input from the gardener. Others need a bit of encouragement, usually in the form of deadheading.

If you’re new to deadheading, this term refers to the process of cutting off the old, spent flowers as they fade. When the flowers fade, it signals to the plant that part of its reproductive phase is over and it can move onto the next phase.

But most of us gardeners want the plant to continue flowering, so to help this along we need to get in there and cut off the spent flowers, preventing the plant from forming seeds.

Depending on the species, generally you will prune the flower stem back to the closest leaf bud after the flower has faded.

Be sure to clean your tools before you use them! A thorough wipe with a 10 percent bleach solution or a good scrub with warm, soapy water before you start deadheading will help prevent the spread of disease.

Pruning can have a significant impact on flowering behavior. Trimming at the wrong time or in the wrong way can reduce the length of time the plant blooms and the number of flowers it produces. It can also delay flowering.

Proper pruning at the right time can increase flower numbers and bloom time. This is most notable in the case of trees and woody shrubs.

Plants That Have Repeat Flushes

Many perennials flower in flushes. Camellias, carnations, coreopsis, hibiscus, heuchera, irises, roses, salvia, and viburnum all do, just to name a few.

Tropical fruit trees like guava, lemon, orange, lime, pomegranate, mango, and dragon fruits also bloom in flushes, some of them just once and others multiple times throughout the year.

Apples, pears, cherries, plums, peaches, and apricots all have a single flush in the spring.

Commercial growers will take advantage of this natural flowering habit to manipulate the growing conditions to encourage blooming and, as a result, control the fruiting time for harvest.

They will fertilize on a schedule to synchronize flowering and prune judiciously to encourage blossoms to form.

Whatever You Call It, It Sure Is Pretty

When a plant is in bloom, I don’t really think about what it’s called.

I’m just admiring my plant and thinking about how beautiful it is and how sweet the flowers smell. But I have to admit, knowing what the heck I’m talking about sure has made it easier to communicate about what’s going on with my plants.

What kind of plants are you growing? Do they flower in flushes or continuously? Let us know all about your situation in the comments section below.

Now that you know what it means, you might want to learn more about growing flowers in your garden. Check out these guides next:

Brightly hued flowers and alluring foliage are among the first things most of us notice about ornamental gardens, but a little discernment when planting is needed to avoid a confusing and unsatisfying hodgepodge.

The simple solution to preventing color chaos comes from planning your palette before shopping for your plants!

Color, along with elements like form and texture, plays a key role in the overall composition of ornamental gardens and landscapes – and it’s an integral part to evoking particular feelings as well.

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And with just a basic understanding of how different shades work together, you can easily create your own signature garden palette that creates a range of moods to fulfill your vision… and saves money too!

So if you’re ready to put tints, shades, and hues to work for you in your dream landscape, keep reading to discover how to create glorious garden color schemes.

Here’s a brief look at what you’ll find ahead:

Plan Your Design

To best create the composition you want, planning it out first – before planting – pays big dividends.

A box of pencil crayons and a sketchbook can help clarify your vision or you can use a site like Pinterest to make a board or two to help visualize your ideas.

Visiting local botanical gardens and observing how the pros use color in their designs is another excellent source for inspiration.

Use the following tips to help develop your ideas:

• Start by considering the basics such as the size of your garden or yard, how you like to use your outdoor space, and how the sunlight moves through the day. 
• Decide on the overall energy or mood for your garden, using the temperatures of different hues to evoke certain emotions.
• Warm shades like orange, red, and yellow are lively and energetic, imparting a sense of excitement, while cool hues like blue, green, and purple are calming and lend a sense of tranquility.
• Use a color wheel to help with selecting your favorite hues – more on that in a bit.
• Start with only one color. I know this can be hard but simplicity is your friend when you’re getting started. How to add accents and supporting shades is covered later in this guide – so keep reading!
• It’s helpful to look at the existing elements on your property to choose your single starting shade because it has to work with your setting, including fences, hardscape features, house paint, and outdoor furniture.
• If you plan to build or finish hardscape structures like arbors, fences, and sheds, try to avoid using green paint, which often conflicts or distracts from the natural shades of plants. Instead, stick to neutrals or tints that occur naturally in your environment.
• Pick a theme you want to work with. Would you like a traditional cottage garden, a courtyard sanctuary, or are you drawn to a seaside or southwestern vibe? You’ll find more ideas in the Garden Styles section below.
• Whatever you decide, use your theme as a loose template to build on – but remember, there are no hard and fast rules about what a garden “should” look like. This is your space, so have fun with it!
• Refine your vision. After you’ve decided on the basics of a single, predominant hue, the temperature or mood, and the style you’d like, start to play with secondary shades, color combinations, and focal points.
• Keep in mind that the overall impact of massed plants is often more effective than single plantings. Consider where you can develop areas in drifts, groups, or stands for maximum impact.
• When honing your vision, keep a few design elements in mind. Use the principles of balance, contrast, emphasis, and repetition to create flow and unity, and to move your eye through the landscape.
• It’s also important to pay attention to where the light falls in your yard. Pastels can appear washed out in glaring sunlight while bright, saturated hues can provide an extra punch to shady areas.
• Once your basic plans are in place, start to consider your plant selection. Your choices need to provide the hues you want, suit the growing conditions in your garden, and be a suitable size for your space.
• And be sure to include some pollinator-friendly native plants that suit your palette – they’re proven performers for your particular climate and are often low maintenance.

Make sure you have a solid plan in place before visiting your favorite garden center – it’s the best way to avoid disappointment and save money!

Color Theory Fundamentals

For a better understanding of how a variety of hues, tints, and shades work together, a color wheel is an inexpensive and invaluable tool that explains the relationship between different colors.

Most of us are familiar with the three primary shades of blue, red, and yellow.

But there are also three secondary tones, which are obtained by mixing two primary shades.

Green is the result of mixing blue and yellow, purple comes from combining blue and red, and orange is a combination of red and yellow.

And there are also six tertiary shades, the results of mixing one of the primary hues with one of its adjacent secondary shades.

For example, combining red (primary) with purple (secondary) gives us magenta.

You can go further down the rabbit hole into quaternary hues and beyond, but for the purposes of garden planning, the first three sets of shades are ample.

Most professional garden designers limit their palette selection to two hues plus green.

And really, I highly recommend you pick up a color wheel – they’re dirt cheap and along with garden design, they’re useful for art projects, choosing furniture, redecorating your home, and wardrobe coordination.

Color Wheel 9.25 Inches

You can find nine-and-a-quarter-inch color wheels available via Walmart.

Warm and Cool Tones

To get a feel for creating particular moods, it helps to understand the level of emotional “heat” that different hues impart.

Warm tones – those on the red side of the wheel – such as orange, magenta, red, and yellow are vibrant and lively, providing a sense of energy and excitement.

They also tend to advance in our perception, causing them to stand out and making them noticeable from a distance.

Cool tones – on the green side of the wheel – like blue, green, purple, and violet are more calming, with a soothing, tranquil quality.

Cool tones are often subdued and we tend to perceive them as receding, causing them to fade out from the eye.

This makes cool shades better for up-close viewing.

Neutral shades include black, brown, gray, silver, and white, and are often used to make bright hues pop, or on their own they can lend an air of drama or mystery.

Color Schemes

You can use any combination of hues you like, but for the beginner it’s often wise to employ established, harmonizing schemes to deliver the results you’d like.

To get you started, here are three easy plans that are frequently used for garden designs:

1. Analogous

Analogous plans use three shades that are next to each other on the color wheel.

Because of their close proximity to each other, they offer little contrast which gives a sense of balance, cohesion, and unity.

As an example, let’s say purple, a secondary hue, is your lead shade. In an analogous plan, you could pick the two tertiary shades of violet and magenta as supporting colors.

Or you could opt for purple (secondary), magenta (tertiary), and red (primary).

For a purple analogous plan, you can grow shrubs and vines like bougainvillea, butterfly bush, clematis, hydrangea, lilac, rhododendron, and wisteria.

Corresponding purple-toned colors can be found in plants like allium, aster, bellflower, blazing star, delphinium, geranium, iris, lavender, oregano, petunia, phlox, sage, and verbena.

2. Complementary

A complementary plan is very simple and uses two tones that are located opposite one another on the color wheel, like blue and orange.

Complementary shades work well together because they balance one another, but also provide oodles of energy as they have high contrast, and contrast draws the eye in.

This is an excellent scheme to create focal points that really pop!

In the garden, a complimentary design works best when one shade is chosen to lead and its complement is used as an accent.

Using the blue and orange example, you could lead with blue-toned shrubs, vines, herbs, and flowers like California lilac, clematis, hydrangea, lily of the Nile, morning glory, plumbago, rosemary, Russian sage, salvia, speedwell, and sweet peas. 

Complementary orange-flowered plants can include the likes of begonia, calendula, California poppy, canna, celosia, chrysanthemum, crocosmia, dahlia, daylily, gerbera, lily, marigold, and nasturtium.

3. Monochromatic

A monochromatic scheme is minimalist in nature and is one of the easiest to create because it uses only one color with some variations of that shade.

A monochromatic plan presents a harmonious, relaxing scene that’s easy on the eye.

It uses one color and a variety of hues, tints, and shades to create a layered look with an air of easy elegance and has the knack of making small areas appear larger.

This is a low-contrast scheme but offers a myriad of tone changes to keep the viewer engaged and interested.

Choose one predominant shade then select lighter tones to add depth and movement and darker ones for accents or to draw the eye in.

Consider the color pink – with well over 100 shades, pink is superb for a monochromatic garden.

For an effective pink design, you could work with shrubs and vines such as azalea, bougainvillea, camellia, clematis, crape myrtle, daphne, deutzia, elderberry, fringe flower, hibiscus, hydrangea, lilac, rhododendron, rose, and weigela.

Pick supporting shades and accents from flowers and herbs like anemone, astilbe, bee balm, begonia, coneflower, dianthus, foxglove, hyacinth, impatiens, lavender, Asiatic and Oriental lily, mint, oregano, salvia, and peony.

Garden Styles

To help achieve the particular look you want, brainstorm some popular garden styles.

And while you’re thinking of a theme or the general characteristics of your design, make note of where your outdoor accents, bits and bobs, decor, furniture, and so on fit into your plans.

Look for plants that give more than just your favorite hue. Try to select those that provide multiseason interest.

Along with flowers, look for color changing bark or foliage, berries and fruit, or interesting seed heads.

To reduce the number of plants needed, opt for those that have a long flowering season or ones that rebloom.

For visual stimulation, include plants in a variety of sizes, different forms, and distinguishing textures.

Layer your plantings for continuous and diverse displays. Make use of annuals, bulbs for spring, summer, and fall, grasses, herbs, evergreen and deciduous shrubs and trees, native species, perennials, and vines.

And don’t forget about the interest provided by foliage.

Green leaves are most often used for a soothing background or to support focal points, but many plants provide bright, colorful foliage as well.

For variations of green or shades of blue-green, burgundy, chartreuse, gold, orange, purple, red, silver, and yellow, look to varieties of artemisia, caladium, canna, coleus, coral bells, ferns, hosta, lamb’s ear, ninebark, smoke tree, sweet potato vine, and ornamental grass.

If desired, you can also include berry, fruit, and veggie patches or cultivate your crops in containers.

Many edibles add interesting foliage, attractive flowers, and alluring forms as well as being tasty!

Polished, Professional Gardens

Knowing how to use color in the landscape is one of the fundamental skills required to create polished, professional looking gardens.

It helps to set a mood, influences styles, and acts as the glue that holds everything together.

But you don’t have to be a professional designer to use color yourself!

Stick to the basics by planning your vision first, including your favorite shade and the style you’d like. Then find a color scheme to develop but remember to keep it simple – work with one main hue and two supporting players.

And don’t stress if you can’t find plants that are an exact match to those on your color wheel model!

Be flexible and work with what’s available – you’ll love the many “happy accidents” that result, along with a beautiful outdoor space.

What are some of your favorite garden color schemes? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

And If you’d like more flower garden tips, read these guides next:

We all know how annoying rodents can be when they’re inside the house.

But they can be just as irritating when they’re out in the garden, munching away at your flower bulbs like there’s no tomorrow.

Since flower bulbs are rich in carbohydrates, they’re a sought-after, high-energy treat for many mammals. And that’s no exaggeration – believe it or not, a tulip bulb is actually more caloric than a potato!

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And while this feasting keeps your local vermin nourished and happy, it’s not ideal for maintaining a beautiful floral display. Not one bit.

Because when a flower bulb is damaged by hungry rodents, it won’t have the resources necessary for blooming. Which is a real shame.

To keep this real shame from becoming a real-life shame, we’ve whipped up a guide that’ll help you protect your flower bulbs from rodents.

I’ll also cover some tips that’ll help with rodent infestations in the garden… regardless of which plants they chow down on.

What’s the Harm?

Maybe you’ve got a soft spot for animals, and don’t wish to hurt them.

Or perhaps you’re a former rodent exterminator living out your life as a peaceful gardener, hiding from your exterminating past like an assassin in one of those “an old killer gets back in the game” movies that are popular nowadays.

Whatever your reservations are, I totally understand. However, even if you go the completely non-harmful route, I’d still recommend doing something, as doing nothing about a rodent infestation could be bad news for your garden.

First and foremost, your flowering bulbs won’t bloom if they’re eaten by rodents. And those that have been damaged may fail to bloom or put out such a sad, stunted flower that you’ll wonder why it even bothered.

Besides poor flowering, partially consumed or damaged bulbs are vulnerable to pathogens and insects, which can create even more problems for your garden.

Aside from your flower bulbs, rodents in the garden will consume other plants, too.

Plus, they’ll naturally spread fleas, ticks, and feces as they move throughout the garden, which can spread harmful diseases, like leptospirosis, to humans and pets.

And don’t forget the other forms of damage that can result, such as underground tunneling and topsoil disturbance.

Rodents to Watch Out For

Fun fact about rodents: they’re mammals of the taxonomic order Rodentia, which are characterized by a pair of continuously growing incisor teeth on both the upper and lower jaws.

Furthermore, Rodentia is the largest order of mammals, with over 2000 different species. That’s a lot of different animals!

North American gardeners, keep your eyes peeled for mice, rats, voles, gophers, groundhogs, chipmunks, and squirrels, which should make up the majority of your offenders.

If you were hoping to catch a big ol’ capybara digging into your daffodils, I’m sorry to say that those are native to South America.

Signs of a Rodent Problem

So how does a gardener know when they’ve got an infestation on their hands, besides actually catching the critters in the act or simply seeing them in the garden?

If your plants start disappearing without a trace, that’s a definite sign.

In particular, mice, rats, and gophers are fond of feeding from below, munching on roots and pulling plants underneath the soil line in a way that leaves little evidence of their presence.

These burrowers will also leave tunnels in the ground, which can push up the soil above the tunnels into mounds.

The soil mounds above gopher tunnels will be larger and more noticeable than those of mouse and rat tunnels. Additionally, gophers and rats will create aboveground clumps of soil to mark their burrow entrances.

In the case of vermin such as squirrels and chipmunks that don’t tunnel through soil, these critters dig up and consume bulbs, leaving far more evidence. The planting bed will be disturbed, and gaping, bulbless holes will be obvious.

All this chewed bulb tissue has to end up somewhere, and in general, rodent droppings look a lot like black grains of rice – yet another sign. If you see a lot of feces, rest assured that your local vermin have been feasting.

General Preventative Practices

So, how can you keep rodents from seeing your garden as an all-you-can-eat buffet?

Here are some top tips to keep them away from your bulbs:

1. Don’t Attract Rodents

For starters, keep your garden free of debris. Rodents regularly make their nests in wood piles, compost heaps, tall grasses, and piles of brush you haven’t gotten rid of yet.

So regularly rearrange wood, turn compost, cut the grass, and dispose of brush.

Rodents are also attracted to discarded food. Try not to throw away large amounts of smelly food, and be sure to keep your garbage and recycling bins clean.

Bird seed can be alluring as well, so be sure to clean up any spilled seed from under your bird feeders.

In the case of squirrels, if you already have a large number that frequent your yard, it can help to put out an alternative food source that they find more appealing than your bulbs.

A dedicated squirrel-feeding station may discourage them from helping themselves to your plants.

You can also plant flower bulbs that rodents don’t like. Daffodils, snowdrops, Siberian squills, glory-of-the-snow, hyacinths, alliums, and grape hyacinths are a lot more pest-proof than tulips, crocuses, and amaryllis.

2. Shield Your Bulbs

For some peace of mind, it helps to protect your flower bulbs directly. And a layer of half-inch hardware cloth does a pretty good job at that.

After digging out your planting area a foot deep, surround the perimeter with a strip of hardware cloth that extends a foot belowground. Also lay down some cloth at the bottom of the bed – all of this will defend against burrowers.

But a perimeter of hardware cloth that goes 18 inches below the soil can help fortify your property fence against burrowers, if you have a small, fenced yard.

Don’t have a fence? Here’s how to construct one that’ll keep out creatures as large and as spry as deer!

3. Grow Deterrents

Besides growing the types of bulbs that rodents typically don’t like, you can place plants nearby that won’t just cause rodents to be disinterested, but discouraged.

Strongly-scented herbs such as lavender, mint, and salvia are effective deterrents, as well as marigolds, sedum, and garlic. You’d be surprised at how many plants vermin find distasteful!

4. Utilize Repellents

Besides live plants, many other substances are repulsive to rodents.

Before you plant your bulbs, you can actually throw them in a bucket and coat ’em in chili powder like a bowl of Louisiana catfish. Dust the soil surface with the powder too, as this is an added deterrent.

Garlic powder works well as a soil dusting, too, especially against rats, mice, and – as a bonus – rabbits.

Bonide Rodent Repellent Spray

You can always use a synthetic product, such as this chipmunk, squirrel, and general rodent repellent spray from Bonide, available at Arbico Organics.

It utilizes a quadruple combo of cedarwood, castor, clove, and peppermint oils!

5. Set Up Traps

If you need to eliminate a rodent infestation pronto, trapping can be very effective, whether you go with a lethal trap or something humane.

Hiring a professional is costly, but it does make the process much easier. Otherwise, you can set up and manage the traps on your own.

Traps come in various shapes and sizes, and are composed of all sorts of materials. In general, you can classify them as live, snap, or glue traps.

I wouldn’t use any traps that rely on poisons, especially if you live with dogs, little kids, or anyone else who’s prone to putting stuff in their mouth on a whim.

Additionally, there is a risk of secondary poisoning for animals that consume poisoned rodents.

Live traps, as the name suggests, capture animals while leaving them unharmed. A very nice gesture, but then it’s up to you to release them elsewhere.

Ideally, you’d drop them off two to five miles away or further, in a natural environment where they can find the resources to survive but not in someone else’s property!

Then there are snap traps, which snap closed on a caught creature, killing it swiftly. At least ideally – there’s always an unfortunate chance that it’ll take a painful, wince-inducing amount of time to die.

The glue traps, which use an adhesive to keep the animal stuck in place, are inhumane.

Since there’s no way to unstick the catch, you’ll have to kill them while they’re actually stuck to the trap, which is a very unpleasant affair.

Plus, they may try to chew off their own stuck limb to escape, or even cannibalize a fellow rodent they’re stuck with – both of which are unnecessarily cruel and gruesome.

If you have a severe rodent infestation on your hands, it’s best to contact a professional exterminator.

Rodents Eating Flower Bulbs? Not on Your Watch!

The dark days of your tulips being terrorized are coming to an end. Now that you’ve read through these tips, rodents will learn the hard way not to mess with your garden.

Since there are so many types of rodents, what works to manage one may not deter others. So keep your mind open, and never stop learning.

Need more clarification? Any tips that I missed? Head on down to the comments section below!

And for more information about growing bulb flowers in your garden, check out these guides next:

10. Coneflower

The herbaceous perennial purple coneflower, Echinacea spp., is widely hybridized and available in an array of colors.

It grows in Zones 5 to 9 with full sun to part shade and may reach heights up to 48 inches.

Bloom time is late spring to fall. The large seed heads or cones attract late-season foraging songbirds. Pair with other late-season perennials, like asters and chrysanthemums.

‘Green Jewel’ has lime green petals surrounding a coordinating cone. It matures to a height of 20 to 24 inches.

‘Green Jewel’ Coneflower

‘Green Jewel’ coneflower is available from Nature Hills Nursery.

See our guide to growing coneflowers for details.

11. Gladiolus

Tall spikes of ruffly, tubular gladiolus (Gladiolus spp.) blossoms add vertical interest to the garden in Zones 9 to 11 – they can be grown as annuals in more northern Zones.

They prefer full sun and bloom from spring to fall, and often require staking to remain upright at heights of 18 to 72 inches tall. Note that this is a toxic species.

Green and White Mix Gladiolus

Eden Brothers offers a mix of lime and ivory blossoms that appeal to butterflies and hummingbirds, perfect for a cottage or pollinator garden.

You can find seeds for green and white gladiolus mix available from Eden Brothers.

Our guide to growing gladiolus has more information. 

12. Hellebore

The nodding, cup-like blooms of perennial hellebores Helleborus spp., are a welcome sight at winter’s end.

Plants are hardy in Zones 4 to 9 and prefer part to full shade. Note that they are toxic.

H. odorus reaches heights of 12 to 24 inches and features fragrant sour apple to chartreuse blossoms.

Plants naturalize readily in shade gardens, woodland settings, beds, and borders, and they pair well with bleeding hearts and ground-covering, white-flowered sweet woodruff.

Learn more about growing hellebores in our guide.

13. Hydrangea

A woody hydrangea (Hydrangea spp.) shrub with flouncy old-fashioned blooms, is an eye-catching specimen in the landscape.

And when it has ethereal light lime blossoms, it infuses cottage gardens with softness and tranquility. Note that it is toxic.

Hydrangeas prefer full sun to part shade locations and grow to heights between three and ten feet.

H. arborescens ‘Limetta’ is a smooth hydrangea cultivar, suited to Zones 3 to 8.

‘Limetta’ Hydrangea

Its petite three- to four-foot stature makes it well-suited to container gardening, or a position as an understory filler.

Blossoms open continuously from summer to fall in a lime green hue that ages to jade.

‘Limetta’ hydrangea is available from Nature Hills Nursery.

Consult our guide to learn more about growing hydrangeas.

14. Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum, is an herbaceous perennial wildflower that grows in Zones 4 to 9, where the shade is deep and the ground is moist. Note that it is toxic.

A companion to ferns, hellebores, and hostas, the blossoms consist of a leaf-green or maroon striped spathe enclosing a coordinating spadix.

It resembles a church preacher at a hooded pulpit. Mature heights are 12 to 36 inches.

See our guide to growing jack-in-the-pulpits for more information.

15. Lisianthus

Sun-loving lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) aka prairie gentian or “lizzy,” has flared, bell-shaped flowers.

Lisianthus is an herbaceous perennial for Zones 8 to 10 that grows as an annual elsewhere.

It may take up to five months for the tiny seeds to mature and bloom. Starting them indoors accelerates the process. It blooms abundantly from summer to first frost.

These plants are a popular choice for bouquets and centerpieces. Mature heights are one to three feet, making them ideal as focal specimens with an old-fashioned cottage garden charm.

‘Voyage Green’ Lisianthus

The richly ruffled petals of ‘Voyage Green’ are a cool cucumber shade for an understated and nearly neutral addition to containers, borders, and beds containing annuals and perennials of various colors.

‘Voyage Green’ seeds are available from Eden Brothers.

16. Nicotiana

Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) is a perennial for Zones 3 to 10 that prefers full sun to part shade.

Small trumpet-shaped blossoms with long stems make excellent fillers in borders with spent spring bulbs. Mature heights range from one to three feet. Note that this is a toxic species.

Sweetly fragrant ‘Lime Green’ nicotiana is especially lovely interspersed with pink garden phlox and purple salvia.

‘Lime Green’ Nicotiana

The scent intensifies on cool evenings. Mature heights are approximately 24 inches tall.

‘Lime Green’ nicotiana seeds are available from Eden Brothers.

17. Ranunculus

Ranunculus (Ranunculus spp.), aka Persian buttercup, is a perennial bulb with rose-like, crinkled, multilayered petals and is a popular wedding bouquet flower.

It is suited to Zones 8 to 11, prefers full sun, and reaches mature heights of one to two feet tall. Note that it is toxic.

As the petals of’ ‘Super Green White’ unfurl, they reveal a center that looks a bit like a brussels sprout set in a ring of pale lime surrounded by bright white.

‘Super Green White’ Ranunculus

Best uses include mixed beds, borders, and containers with other green, pink, and white specimens.

‘Super Green White’ seeds are available from Eden Brothers.

18. Sunflower

The sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is an annual for Zones 2 to 11.

It prefers full sun and grows to heights of one to 12 feet, depending upon the type.

A ring of petal-like rays surrounds a center face of disk florets. At season’s end, the face is a rich source of seeds for people and/or birds to enjoy.

‘Sun-Fill Green’ is a hybrid sunflower that grows to a mature height of five to six feet.

It is noteworthy for its tea green calyx-like sepals that resemble the back of a typical sunflower and cluster around the center florets.

Sun-Fill Green Hybrid Sunflower

It is an excellent cut flower when the starry sepals are at their peak, as once it opens fully and runs to seed, the appearance declines.

Add this cultivar to the cutting garden alongside tall zinnias.

‘Sun-Fill Green’ seeds are available from Burpee in packets of 25.

Learn more about how to grow sunflowers in our guide.

19. Tulip

Spring-blooming tulips, Tulipa spp., are classic bulb flowers available in a rainbow of colors.

Green hues are synonymous with the season’s freshness and make pinks pop and whites appear crisper.

Hardy in Zones 3 to 7, they prefer full sun and grow to heights ranging from 4 to 30 inches, depending on the species and cultivar. Note that this is a toxic species.

‘Green Power’ is a Triumph tulip featuring bright lime flowers with a hint of rose at the margins and the traditional egg shape.

It is a late spring showstopper, especially when paired with hot pink tulips and hyacinths.

‘Green Power’ Tulip

Suited to Zones 3 to 8, this cultivar prefers full sun to part shade and reaches heights of 18 to 20 inches.

Green power tulips are available from the CZ Grain Store via Amazon.

Our guide to growing tulips has more information.

20. Viburnum

Viburnum, Viburnum spp., is a woody shrub generally grown in Zones 2 to 8 that prefers full sun to part shade.

It boasts clusters of springtime blossoms similar to those of hydrangea. Some species are toxic.

The Chinese snowball viburnum, Viburnum macrocephalum ‘Sterile,’ displays round blossom clusters that are chartreuse when they emerge and quickly shade to white.

Chinese Snowball Viburnum

This one is suited to cultivation in Zones 6 to 9. Mature heights are six to ten feet tall for a substantial stand-alone focal specimen.

Chinese snowball viburnum is available from Nature Hills Nursery in #3 containers.

Check out our guide to growing viburnums for more details.

21. Zinnia

The zinnia, Zinnia spp., is a full-sun annual for Zones 3 to 10 with daisy-like petals in various richly saturated hues.

Tall types of this mid- to late-summer bloomer reach heights of up to four feet, while dwarf cultivars top out at a petite six to 12 inches.

‘Tequila Lime’ Zinnia

Zinnia violacea ‘Tequila Lime’ offers a mouthwatering shade of lime and substantial, rounded blooms with multiple petal layers. Plants top out at 48 inches.

Tequila Lime Zinnias are available from Eden Brothers.

Learn more about how to grow zinnias in our guide.

Unique and Unexpected

Green flowers are not your typical garden fare. In many cases, they are showstopping variations of familiar flowers that intrigue observers with their uniqueness.

With 21 to pick from, it’s time to take out your garden planner and decide where to incorporate some of these verdant blooms into your existing garden scheme.

How about starry lime nicotiana paired with purple salvia?

Or maybe you’d prefer the vertical interest of emerald bells of Ireland among English daisies?

And surely every cutting garden has room for celery-hued zinnias to accent garden-fresh bouquets?

Contrasting companion flora show green blossoms to best advantage as unique and unexpected pops of color sure to delight you and visitors to your outdoor living space.

What are your most unusual garden flowers? Please tell us in the comments section below.

If you enjoyed this article and want to read more about flowers, we recommend the following guides next:

Forcing spring and summer bulbs to bloom indoors is a brilliant way to add color and fragrance to the winter homescape – and most forced varieties can be planted out in the garden after they’ve finished blooming inside.

Once they’ve been forced, they generally can’t be reused for indoor blooms again, with a few exceptions like properly cared for amaryllis.

But many can transition successfully into the garden and will produce outdoor blooms again in just a year or two, depending on the type.

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After they’ve finished blooming, the bulbs need to replenish their energy through photosynthesis – the capture and conversion of sunlight into energy via their foliage.

This means that after-flowering care is an important step to refuel and recharge energy stores.

Unfortunately, tulip cultivars usually don’t do well after forcing, although limited success might be found with species or wild varieties.

Those forced in water will need to be tossed once they’re finished. Without a growing medium, they’ve exhausted their energy reserves and won’t recover sufficiently for good floral displays – compost or discard these once the blooms are spent.

Plants like amaryllis, crocuses, daffodils, grape hyacinths, hyacinths, lilies, snowdrops, and many others are easily rejuvenated and revert back to their normal blooming cycles with a bit of care.

Are you ready to rescue some forced plants for the garden? Then let’s dig into how to plant flower bulbs after forcing!

Here’s what’s up ahead:

Reset the Clock

Most of the bulbs forced for indoor blooms are spring- or summer-flowering varieties such as amaryllis, daffodils, or lilies.

Forcing them to bloom out of season typically involves an induced dormancy period followed by a spell of cold temperatures to break dormancy, then placement in a brightly lit location to begin another growth cycle.

Many varieties are easily tricked, or forced, into blooming out of season, but eventually they’ll revert back to their natural flowering cycles when planted outdoors.

Small varieties like crocus, grape hyacinths, and snowdrops respond readily to planting out and typically recover quickly, producing plenty of blooms.

The same is true for mid- to large-sized ones like daffodils, hyacinths, and lilies.

Even extra-large types like the flamboyant amaryllis can be planted out in areas with mild winters or saved and re-forced indoors for many years to come.

However, the larger types can take a couple of years to reset their internal clocks and rebloom fully. They may produce only foliage in their first year or two back in the garden.

Be patient with them! if they’re producing healthy foliage, the storage organs are replenishing their energy stores and buds should appear the following season.

How to Save Forced Bulbs

Once flowering is finished, deadhead or clip off the spent blooms, but leave stems and foliage intact.

Set containers in a bright location or sunny indoor windowsill in a cool room with temperatures between 55 and 70° F – a window in an unheated garage or enclosed porch is ideal.

Feed once with an all-purpose, balanced fertilizer with a formula such as 10-10-10 NPK. This organic granular fertilizer with a 4-4-4 NPK from Burpee is perfect for the job.

Burpee Natural Plant Food

Continue to water as usual while the foliage remains green and thriving.

After several weeks, the leaves will turn yellow followed by brown, before withering, and finally dying back as the plant prepares for dormancy – the timing of dieback can vary by a few weeks, depending on the species.

Remove dead foliage by cutting it off at soil level with sharp scissors, and once all the leaves are gone, allow the soil to dry out completely.

For spring-blooming varieties, set the pots in a dry, cool location, such as a basement, garage, or shed until it’s time to plant out in fall.

Alternatively, before storing, you can remove the bulbs from their containers, shake off the soil, and clean away dead leaves before placing them in a paper bag or cardboard box lined with coconut coir, peat moss, or vermiculite.

Summer budding types can be left in their pots until spring temperatures have warmed enough for planting out into the garden.

When and How to Plant Out

It takes a lot of energy for plants to grow and bloom out of season.

For a successful transition to the garden, they’ll do best when planted in nutritious and well-draining soil amended with plenty of organic material such as compost or well-rotted manure.

And in general, most prefer a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.0.

They also benefit from the addition of phosphorus mixed into the planting site in the form of bone meal, bulb booster fertilizer, or rock phosphorus.

Whichever product you choose, be sure to apply per package instructions.

Phosphorus is an important mineral for promoting strong cells and roots, energy storage, and bud development.

Down to Earth Bone Meal

Down to Earth bone meal is an excellent source of phosphorus with a formula of 3-15-0 NPK and is available at Arbico Organics.

But phosphorus is slow-acting and doesn’t move through the soil, so the product should be mixed into your planting medium at root level where it can be easily accessed, and not sprinkled on the surface.

Plant bulbs at a depth that’s two to three times their height.

For example, a daffodil that’s two inches tall can be planted to a depth of four to six inches.

However, if you experience cold winters with frozen soil for several weeks, go deeper and plant them at three times their height for greater protection. In areas with mild winters, planting at twice their depth is sufficient.

Spring-blooming varieties should be planted in early to mid-fall, about six weeks before the ground freezes, or by the end of November in regions with mild winters.

Wait until mid to late spring to plant out summer blooming types, or until after the soil warms up to 60° F – planting too early in cold, wet soil can lead to root rot.

After planting, water deeply but gently.

Once new foliage emerges, feed monthly with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer or apply slow-release granules in early spring and again in early summer. Stop fertilizing when the first flower buds are about to open.

Color and Fragrance

Few things can brighten winters’ short days better than the brightly colored, fragrant blooms of forced bulbs!

And once they’ve finished blooming indoors, most can be saved and planted out in the garden to flower for years to come.

Remember to keep the foliage in place to replenish energy and water regularly until the leaves die back for dormancy.

In spring or fall, plant out into nutrient rich soil and your plants will soon return to their natural rhythms, restoring their pretty blooms to the garden once more.

Now that you know how, will you plant your forced bulbs outdoors this year? Tell us in the comments section below.

And for more ideas on how to force flowers indoors, add these guides to your reading list next.