Spring Blooming Bulb Lasagna
It’s time to get started on planting my spring bulbs which I usually plant as a single variety. This year, I’m trying out bulb lasagna with a variety of bulbs in one container. It’s easy! Just layer the bulbs according to recommended depth. This can be done directly in your garden or in a container.
I love bulbs in containers because it makes it easy to move them according to the season. Over the winter, they’re in full sun, then as they start to bloom in the spring, I move them to where I’ll see them as much as possible. I put small containers on my kitchen window shelf. After blooming, I water the containers until the foliage dies. Then I set the containers aside for the summer while they are dormant. I usually repot the containers about every two years to freshen the potting soil. I always use containers with a drainage hole, even if we have to drill ourselves.
For this container, I included: daffodils (Narcissus), hyacinth (Hyacinthus), grape hyacinth (Muscari) paperwhites (Narcissus), and Dutch iris (Iris × hollandica). Besides the beauty of these flowers together, it’s also a long-blooming container as they won’t all be blooming at the same time. Though there will be some overlap.
As a rule, bigger bulbs are planted deeper and smaller bulbs are planted shallowly. In the first layer, I placed hyacinth and daffodil bulbs. Next, paperwhites and Dutch iris bulbs. Lastly, a sprinkling of grape hyacinth bulbs. As I was planting, I mixed in bulb food with the soil throughout.
Does it matter if any bulbs overlap? No. The bulb sprouts will grow around any bulbs above them.
Can you add other plants? Yes. For my next container, I’m planning on pansies as they do well in my zone over the winter.
Tips for Cold Zones
I’m in 9b which is pretty temperate, but in colder zones, there are other considerations for bulbs in containers:
- You can insulate the container with mulch on top – like leaves, pine needles, etc. But you can also place plants as the top layer.
- If you’re in a deep freeze zone, the containers may need to be protected in a cellar, shed or greenhouse. Depending on the temperate, the containers may need to be wrapped for insulation.
- If the soil may freeze, you might want to use a plastic container that won’t break when the contents expand.
- If you do store the containers, be sure that mice and other rodents can’t get into them.
- Once past your last deep freeze, bring out the containers and keep moist.
This bulb lasagna container is a birthday gift. My daughter inked a paint stir stick with calligraphy message and sprayed it with lacquer so it won’t bleed. The birthday girl just needs to water it and wait for the bulb foliage to emerge.
Small Bulbs
- Chionodoxia
- Crocus
- Freesia
- Fritillaria uva-vulpis
- Grape Hyacinth
Medium Bulbs
- Dutch Iris
- Iris Reticulata
- Galanthus
- Tulip
Large Bulbs
- Allium
- Daffodils
- Hyacinth
- Lilies
Did I leave out any of your favorites? Comment below and let me know!
9 Thoughts
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Ahhhh! I am in zone 6a and my bulbs have begun sprouting! It’s a little early for that.. by a lot. HA! I do have them in containers in my unheated garden room. I insulated them with bubble wrap b/c it will freeze in there and the containers were taken from someone’s trash on bulk day… so they must be old and probably will crack. HAHAHA By the way, I didn’t go garbage picking, my friend did and she was thinking of me. lol I love her! Anyway, if they sprout, it’s safe to say they will not bloom in spring? Not all are sprouting, should I just put my pots outside and hope for the best? I don’t know what to do. Hellllllllllp!
I don’t know that sprouting now means that they won’t bloom in the spring. It seems like the bulb is waiting for temps to become warm enough to bloom. If there is sunlight to sustain the sprouts, I would be inclined to keep the containers in your garden room and/or add grow lights. In any case, I am all for garbage picking. I look for garden stuff to scavenge all the time. Let me know if they do last until spring and if they sprout. It’s a good experiment! 🙂
I think you might be right. I’m going to keep them in there and just see what happens. Live and learn has been my motto this year, which is the first year that I’ve ever planted anything in soil. I think that attitude is very important or it could be too disappointing. Bulk day around here is like a ‘share and share alike’ day, it’s pretty cool. I hadn’t had any room for anything extra until I began gardening, now that I am considering container gardening in my backyard and I have a lot of yard to fill up, I may be joining my friend…
If you’re on Instagram, tag me if you post any pics of your containers!
I know most bulbs need to be planted in Oct. Am I too late for this late spring/summer to plant? I too am in 9b and I’d like to plant large pots to plank my west facing, full/partial sun, entry in central Florida with layered bulbs to bloom for as long as possible. What combination of bulbs would you suggest for my climate and exposure? Thank you.
There are generally two times of year to plant bulbs: fall and spring. Now is the time to plant bulb flowers that bloom in the summer. Examples: hardly gladiolus, Crocosmia, lilies, pineapple lilies (Eucomis), rain lilies (Zephyranthes), Mexican shell flowers, etc. Miniature dahlias will bloom all summer and into the fall. You could add some annuals to the mix, plus maybe something taller as a background plant. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’m in zone 9b as well, do I need to do anything special about the temperature of my pots? Do I need to refrigerate them? What varieties are best?
Thank you.
Hi Phil, in 9b it’s not necessary to chill any of the bulbs that I listed, except for tulips. Except for when I repot my containers, the bulbs stay in the pots all year. After the foliage dies back, I place the containers in a shady spot for the summer and then start watering them in the October.
Love my amaryllis, would this work in the bulb lasagna?