Best Bulbs for Naturalizing

For a carefree, colourful display year after year, let your bulbs go wild! Flowering bulbs will keep your garden ablaze with colour when other plants are just emerging or have faded. Naturalizing is the process of imitating nature with bulb plantings. In nature, bulbs do not grow in rows. The flowers appear in irregular clumps scattered over the landscape. There are several early spring bulbs for naturalizing that naturalize easily in grassy areas. Some of these bulbs for naturalizing include: snowdrops, winter aconites, crocus and daffodils.

Many gardeners ask, what does naturalizing bulbs mean or what are naturalizing bulbs? In simple terms, the naturalizing bulbs meaning is that these are hardy bulbs that return and multiply with little care, gradually forming drifts and clumps that look as if they have always been part of the landscape. When you understand what does naturalizing bulbs mean and how these bulbs for naturalizing behave over time, it becomes much easier to plan a long-lasting, low-maintenance display. Knowing what are naturalizing bulbs helps you select varieties that will thrive and spread gracefully in your particular garden conditions.

Getting Started
Before deciding where to plant naturalizing bulbs, consider where your landscape needs more colour at various times in spring and early summer. By planting a combination of different species and cultivars that qualify as naturalizing bulbs, you'll enjoy a succession of bloom that lasts several months or more. Also consider the garden setting and the effect you'd like to achieve. When planning, keep the naturalizing bulbs meaning in mind: you are creating plantings that will return and expand each year with minimal intervention.

In a woodland garden, incorporate bold, sweeping drifts of early spring colour. The moist soils and shaded conditions are ideal for naturalizing snowdrops, crocus, early daffodils, Grecian windflowers, early snow glories and winter aconite. These plants colonize vigorously and thrive under deciduous trees, making them excellent naturalizing bulbs. Here, what are naturalizing bulbs becomes easy to see in practice, as they spread gently through leaf litter and along paths, mimicking the way bulbs grow in the wild. In lawns and the front of mixed borders, plant grape hyacinths and low-growing alliums. These are classic naturalizing bulbs that can be scattered and planted where they fall to create a relaxed, informal look. You also can tuck these bulbs for naturalizing into ground cover beds, such as ivy and pachysandra, for colour and contrast. When you understand what does naturalizing bulbs mean, you can see why they are so useful in these areas: they return every year without needing to be lifted or divided frequently.

Daffodils are good naturalizers and one of the most popular naturalizing bulbs. In fact, many gardeners specifically seek out naturalizing daffodils because they are reliable, long-lived and rarely bothered by deer or rodents. However, since the foliage does not mature until the end of June, many gardeners have a tendency to mow off the foliage before its time. Therefore, it is wise to naturalize daffodils in an out-of-the-way location where lack of mowing can be tolerated. When you choose naturalizing daffodils for these spots, they will multiply over time, forming large, cheerful clumps that embody the naturalizing bulbs meaning in a very visible way.

For rock gardens, entryway locations and other areas where close-up detail is desired, choose small crocuses, snow glories, winter aconite, groundcover tulips, and other bulbs with diminutive blooms. Many of these are excellent naturalizing bulbs, especially when planted in soils that drain well. Plant them in small clusters at the corners of beds, in crevices between rocks, or between later blooming garden plants. Over time, these bulbs for naturalizing will spread gently, softening hard edges and adding early-season interest.

Caring for Naturalized Bulbs
Naturalized bulbs require very little care. Simply let the foliage die back naturally to ensure that the plants have had ample time to recharge their bulbs so they can produce flowers for the following year. The foliage can either be removed by hand or left alone to fade on its own. If you've naturalized bulbs in your lawn, keep in mind that the foliage cannot be mowed off until it dies down naturally or the bulbs will eventually die out. An exception to this is the foliage of crocus and snowdrops which can be mowed in mid-spring. This simple approach to maintenance is at the heart of what does naturalizing bulbs mean: plant once, then allow nature to do most of the work.

In early spring, top-dress any bulb area with a balanced fertilizer, such as Breck's Food for Bulbs and Perennials, to ensure vigorous flowering. A light feeding every year or two will support strong growth and help your naturalizing bulbs continue to multiply. When you keep the naturalizing bulbs meaning in mind as you fertilize, water and site your plantings, you will be rewarded with expanding carpets of colour that return reliably season after season.