There are two principal ways of planting bulbs.
- Planting a bed. Excavate the area to be planted and loosen the soil in the bottom. Set the bulbs in the bed. Replace the soil (gently at first, to avoid knocking the bulbs out of position). If the soil is dry, water thoroughly.
- Planting bulbs individually. Dig a hole with a trowel, auger, or bulb planter. Drop the bulb (or bulbs—small bulbs such as those of Winter Wolf’s Bane and Windflowers can be planted in threes, fours or more) into the hole. Replace the soil. If the soil is dry, water thoroughly after planting.
Planting depth varies by bulb size. Large bulbs are planted more deeply than small bulbs. To see our planting depth recommendation for an item on this website, click on the Planting Guide tab below the item photo. Planting depth is measured from soil level to the bottom of the planting hole.
Note: Don’t worry too much about which end is up on a bulb. Bulbs know to send shoots up and roots down. They will grow and bloom even if you plant them upside down.