A favorite time of the year for me personally, is the season of summer. Now isn’t that irony for you? Living in a warm climate now for almost over twenty years, it seems as if summer is always here. (One part of the Gulf Coast of America). Nevertheless, it is still when the temperatures begin to rise, and the color sets in from all my hard work as an avid gardener, I filled most fulfilled with my many borders of plants. One in specific is the summer bulb border.

Here are some steps to follow to insure you have color and keep color for the extent of your summer period.

Step One:

Locate an area that is very sunny (at least 4-6 hours) and clean away all garden debris such as sticks, grass, and especially weeds. After preparing the soil with amendments (organic matter, compost, peat moss etc…), you are now ready to plant but wait, take time to sit down and draw a draft of what you’d like to plant and where, then make time to either order online, a reputable nursery or through mail-order. Select according to your sun requirement. Summer borders don’t always have to be sunny. There are also bulbs for the shady area as well.

Step Two:

Plant your background plants first like trees, shrubs, and/or architectural plants as these are what will make your bulbs an impact in your garden. Without structural plants such as these planted initially, your garden will be colorful but with no background on which to build. Beautify your garden with an evergreen background and see how astonishing your plants will intensify in their own way.

Though the background is important, so is the front row of your plantings and my suggestion is always to use annuals. They are as building blocks needed to give color before the anticipated arrival of the bulbs first show. Use them to fill voids, take on a huge part of the garden, or stay minimal to allow other plantings to be the feature of attraction.

Step Three:

After an assortment of what colors you most admire or that suit your taste in your garden have been chosen, begin planting them according to their type (rhizome, corm, bulb, etc…). This will assure the quantity of needed to purchase. Plant them in vignettes, in an odd number amount. The more you plant the more impact in your garden. Dwarf types make an awesome impact as a bordering plant, so might one consider using them to draw attention as well.

Step Four:

Before any planting is done, be sure to dig soil the depth required, (read instructions on packet or in pamphlet) and the width between each one. Bulbs require their own space to make a living on their own.

Step Five:

After the bulbs are planted according to a draft you have created, (their mature size, color, foliage, watering, food and sun requirements), expect to see the hard work of your labor in just a few weeks. Some bulbs bloom much earlier than their counterparts, some later due to weather conditions, some never flourish due to a list of things that could have happened, still and all, they are the way to go in intriguing your neighbors, family and friends. Heck, have your own admiration after it is all over and you reap the gratification it gives you.

Step Six:

Most summer bulbs flower from early summer to mid-to-late fall. Be sure to plan and plant accordingly. In my garden, I plant summer bulbs with visual impact in mind and do that varying type, blooming periods and colors to give mass. Oh, what a sight! All the color and life it brings and natural life too (such as butterflies, birds and bees). Bulbs provide a bit of something for all of God’s creatures.

Plant them in mass (toy soldiers are for the fireplace mantle at Christmas) meaning, dig a large hole and throw ‘em in there but make sure the right side is up before covering with dirt and Wa-la! you have a spectacular landscape of summer bulb borders. The more you plant of one kind and type in that same tone of hue, the greater the impact. For example, if the bulb is a small one, plant more (like 30 or more) and if larger bulbs, (use them in increments of 12 or more) in one setting, then in another part of the garden. Kind of like little vignettes. Be sure the taller ones are planted in the rear while the shorter ones should be planted towards the front behind some annuals as your bordering flower. Taller bulbs like phlox, Canna and dahlias may need to be in there own little corner to draw the eye for accent in the garden due to their height. Oh, yes. Bulbs can most certainly be the featured accent in the garden. (So much for the gazing ball).

Final Step:

As I’ve written before on companion planting, interplanting your bulbs with other compatible annuals, perennials, even flowering shrubs and trees, is an effective way to make your landscape a sight to be seen. Some plants will help emphasize the structure and tenacity of your garden. Once again, see the effectiveness a bulb can bring to your garden and even the novice can attain a garden of beauty with a little help and encouragement from the bulb editor at Bella Online.

Until next time, keep the fingers dirty with the soil of the earth and become an avid gardener.