Spring Bulb Care
/My crocuses have begun popping out all over the last few weeks and making me long for spring. We moved to a new home last fall and I'm excited to see what bulbs are in the beds and map out a plan to make this garden my own. I'm not a natural gardener by birth so I'm always reading up on how to take care of my plants. Here are some tips for caring for those flower bulbs:
1. Fertilize
As with all plants, your bulbs like fertilizer too. They benefit from a balance fertilizer being applied early in the spring when the shoots first emerge and again after they flower.
2. Mulch
These plants benefit from a mulched bed as well. The early spring bloomers don't need the mulch as much as the later bloomers. A mulched bed helps to retain moisture in the soil and protects the plant from excessive heat. I also think mulched beds look nice too.
3. Trim Wisely
Once our spring bulbs flower and the flowers fade, they don't look their best. Once the flowers have wilted, remove them from the plant. This allows the plant to put energy in to getting it's bulb ready for next year. It's also important to keep the green foliage until it turns yellow. It may be tempting to cut the plant back all the way as soon as it's done flowering, but this can harm the plant. It needs those greens to pull in the sunlight. Trim the plant once the foliage turns yellow.
4. Don't Worry if they Start to Pop Up Early
Here in Salt Lake City, we always seem to have a weird winter where it gets cold early, then warms up for a few weeks, and then snows a ton before spring begins. We did that again this year and I already have tons of crocuses blooming in my yard. Early spring bulbs typically can withstand freezing temperatures without harm. So try not to worry about them too much.
