Tulips are beautiful, but they are also favorite foods for deer and voles.

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Fall is the ideal time to plant brilliant bulbs that will brighten your garden from January through May.

Note that “bulb” is used loosely here, to include corms, tubers, tuberous roots and rhizomes as well as true bulbs.

Plan:

For most bulbs, find a location that gets at least 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Bulbs left in the ground year after year should have 8 to10 hours of daily sunlight. Most bulbs require good drainage, as they will often rot if planted in wet areas.

You can plant bulbs in the ground, in raised berms, or in containers. If you plan to build a raised bed, you can follow the method developed by the Heaths of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs: https://beacon50expo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/426-220-pdf.pdf.

If you will be planting in a container, select one that is weatherproof, large enough to insulate bulbs through winter, tall enough to provide adequate depth for your bulbs, and wide enough at the base to prevent toppling. Bulbs planted in containers should be considered annuals and enjoyed for one season.

Pick: Select plump, firm high-quality bulbs. Size matters! Bulbs are harvested and shipped by suppliers from June to September and are intended to be planted that fall.

You will find varieties of bulbs in home improvement stores and garden centers. However, for an unlimited choice of bulbs, try mail order.

Ensure that you will receive your bulbs at the proper planting time. If you purchase them ahead, keep bulbs in a cool, dry place until planting.

Crocus, scilla, leucojum (snowbell), anemone, chionodoxa (glory-of-the-snow), and muscari (grape hyacinths) are less common spring-flowering bulbs to consider.

If you prefer daffodils or jonquils, plant several varieties (early, mid, and late bloomers) to lengthen the flowering season. If planted in the right place, daffodils will naturalize and spread over time. However, in Richmond, you should probably consider tulips as annuals.

Plant: Plant the bulbs in autumn, so they develop a root system and satisfy their cold requirements. The ideal time is once soil temperatures are below 60ºF (usually after the first heavy frost) and before mid-November (before the soil freezes).

You can prepare a bulb bed or dig individual planting holes. Ideally, dig 12 inches deep when the soil is fairly dry. Enrich the soil. Use one pound of 5-10-10 fertilizer for a 5×10 foot area, or use a small (gloved) handful for a cluster of bulbs. Place 1 to 2 inches of organic matter over the bed. Thoroughly mix together.

For individual planting holes, loosen the soil below the depth the bulb is to be planted. You can use an attachment on a cordless drill to prepare holes. Add fertilizer and cover with a layer of soil to prevent bulbs from direct contact with the fertilizer.

The instructions accompanying your bulbs usually list a suggested planting depth. Generally, bulbs should be planted 2 ½ to 3 times as deep as the diameter of the bulb.

Large bulbs should be 3 to 6 inches apart, small bulbs 1 to 2 inches. To achieve a naturalized effect, toss bulbs and then plant them where they fall.

Bulbs should be massed, using 10 to 12 of each kind for increased flower power wattage. Typically, the pointed end of the bulb should be planted up.

Layering:

Try “lasagna planting” by layering several varieties of bulbs in the ground or in containers based on their various planting depths.

The key to layering bulbs is to consider their bloom times. That means the bulbs in the top layer should bloom first and the bulbs with the latest flowering period should be placed at the bottom.

For example, you could place 15 tulips as the bottom layer, nine hyacinths in the middle, and 30 crocus or rock garden iris on top.

You may also wish to include grape hyacinths in the top layer, since they span blooming seasons. Use at least a one inch of soil between each layer.

Protect: Daffodil bulbs and leaves are poisonous to most creatures, and hyacinth bulbs repel pests.

However, chipmunks, voles, squirrels and other small mammals will eat newly planted tulips, grape hyacinths, glory-of-the-snow and crocus.

Tulips must be as delicious as they are beautiful. Deer often eat them from the top while voles gnaw them underneath the ground!

To protect susceptible bulbs, consider spraying them before planting with bad-tasting repellents. Another approach is to surround each bulb with a handful of gravel or a sharp aggregate product such as VoleBloc. You could also place groups of bulbs into baskets made of wire screen to prevent rodent damage.

Protect bulbs with organic mulch, such as ground leaves, 2 to 4 inches deep. In early spring, remove the mulch after the last freeze to provide opportunities for new growth of dazzling daffodils.

Lela Martin is a Master Gardener with the Chesterfield County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension.