Kids Go Gardening - spring flowering bulbs

Light up your spring garden! Autumn is bulb planting time

Everyone loves daffodils and tulips. But if you want to have them in your garden you have to plant them in autumn. Lots of amazing spring flowers grow from bulbs that are planted in March, April and May.

When you plant a bulb, it grows roots first and then the leaves soon appear. The roots and shoots grow strongly over winter and then last of all the flowers come out. Most bulbs flower in August and September - reminding us that winter is nearly over.  It’s like someone turned the lights on!

Spring in a pot

You will need:

• Daffodil bulbs (or other spring flowering bulbs)
• A container with drainage holes in the bottom
• Bulb planting mix

1. Half fill your container with bulb potting mix. Pack daffodil bulbs into the pot, placing bulbs so they are almost touching. The bigger the pot, the more bulbs you will need.
2. Cover the bulbs with more mix and water thoroughly with a watering can. Place your bulb pot in a cool shady place in the garden.
3. Watch for bulb leaves to appear. As soon as they do, move the pot into a sunny spot and wait for the flowers to burst out and brighten your days.

 A finishing touch: After planting your pot of bulbs you could sprinkle flower seeds or plant little seedlings on top. Violas or alyssum are perfect. The bulbs will push up though these flowers. Alternatively you could decorate the top of your pot with colourful shells or pebbles.

It’s magical!

• Inside a bulb is a tiny flower bud with all the food it needs to grow into a beautiful flower.  As the plant grows, food in the bulb is used up.
• After flowering, the leaves make food to send back down to the bulbs and feed next year’s flower. It’s important not to chop the leaves off until they are completely yellow and shrivelled. This is also a good time to feed your bulbs with bulb food.
• Baby bulbs called ‘bulblets’ form on the side of the big (‘parent’) bulb.
• Daffodils and many other bulbs won’t flower until they have a good winter chill.

Where the wild things are…

Some spring flowering bulbs come up year after year, in the garden, in paddocks and under trees - they’re called ‘naturalised’.  As long as they have good soil that isn’t too wet in winter they’ll multiply every year, so there are more and more flowers. Daffodils, bluebells, snowflakes and snowdrops are some of the flowers that do this.

 

Look for these products, tips and advice at a Go Gardening Store near you.

Dwarf Daffodills like 'Tete-a-Tete' are just right for pots