Bulbs the Year-Round
Portland-area gardeners are lucky to have bulbs bringing us color throughout the year!
Plant care & info
All bulbs have different planting depths. Generally speaking, however, they should be planted approximately three times the diameter of the bulb itself. Check out our handy bulb-planting chart for suggested depths!
When planting, prepare a planting hole a few inches deeper than the recommended planting depth.
Mix compost, pumice, and an organic fertilizer that’s high in phosphorus—such as bone meal or rock phosphate—into the bottom of the hole. Then add enough soil to bring the hole to the proper planting depth. Place the bulbs root side down, fill in the planting hole, and water thoroughly.
Don’t forget to add soil amendments like compost, pumice, or a bulb planting mix to provide the proper drainage bulbs require to thrive.
If you’re planting a lot of bulbs, be sure to check out our supply of bulb augers. The augers will attach to a hand drill and aid in the planting process—limiting wear and tear on your back, knees, and wrists.
Forcing is the process of hastening a plant to maturity, or of growing it to the flowering or fruiting stage outside of its normal season.
Forcing is the process of hastening a plant to maturity, or of growing it to the flowering or fruiting stage outside of its normal season.
Beginning in October, put your bulbs in clean, sterile plastic pots. Do not bury them! Their “noses” (where the leaves come out) should be exposed. Use high quality potting soil or mix equal parts potting soil, coir fiber, and perlite or vermiculite for best results.
Plant the bulbs close together in the pot. Most often, you’ll find that 6 tulips, 3 hyacinths, 6 daffodils, or 15 crocus will fit into a 6-inch pot. The flat sides of tulip bulbs should be placed next to the rim of the pot, as the largest leaf will always emerge and grow on that side, producing a more attractive looking pot.
Hyacinths, crocus, and narcissus can be forced in water. Special glass vases are made actually made for forcing hyacinths or crocus! The bulb is placed in the upper portion of the case, and water goes below. Keep the vase in a cool, dark room (preferably under 50°F) for four to eight weeks, or until the root system has developed and the top elongates.
Fall Bulbs For Spring Color
Spring flowers are such a delight after a cold, dark winter; snowdrops can poke up even in the midst of a late winter snowfall. Combine bright, cheerful blooms such as Crocus, Eranthus hyemalis (Winter Aconite), and Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrops) with Hellebores and Andromeda to herald the first signs of spring.
Take advantage of fall planting, while the days are still warm and the soil is softened by early autumn rain showers. Beginning in mid-September, we carry up to 400 different varieties of bulbs.
Tulips are one of the most popular flowers for spring gardens and we stock nearly 150 different tulip cultivars in a variety of colors, heights, and bloom times. Plant groups of early-blooming and late-blooming bulbs for fresh tulips throughout spring.
Petite, early-blooming, species tulips will return reliably from year to year. With their dainty blooms, species tulips add a soft, sweet look in any rock garden and add wonderful perennial color for garden bed borders.
For an arrangement of color from autumn until spring, try planting spring blooming bulbs under a grouping of colorful pansies. The pansies will add color throughout winter, then the bulbs will emerge above them.
Explore More Bulbs
Winter Bulbs
There is something so deep-heartedly cheery about fresh flowers in the depth of winter and one of the best ways we know of to bring that beauty into your home is with Freesias, Paperwhites, and Amaryllis. Force them indoors and they’ll bring their colorful (and in some cases fragrant) exuberance that can’t help but brighten dreary winter days. You can also add them to a decorative container as a gift for friends, family, or for yourself!
We carry a selection of these beginning in mid-September, with Amaryllis being the last to arrive around mid-October.
Amaryllis will bloom six to eight weeks after planting. Keep this in mind when preparing for gift giving and when decorating for holiday get-togethers. If you’re after unusual varieties of Amaryllis, visit us to find unique varieties as well as larger size bulbs to provide repeated blooms.
Spring Bulbs
Missed the Summer Bulbs? Get the Plants!
Spring bulbs begin arriving in mid February. You’ll find fragrant lilies, enormous dahlias, regal gladiolus, hummingbird-attracting crocosmia, and the dramatic foliage of elephant ears.
Bulbs, tubers and bare root crowns for many of your favorite late-season blooming perennials will be in stock every spring. You can begin planting bulbs in April through May when the danger of frost has passed.
Bulbs require good drainage, so prepare your planting area by amending it with compost and pumice. Wait to plant until your soil is dried out from heavy rains.
We also carry a large selection that have been potted up and are included in our gallon annuals and perennials: Dahlias, Crocosmia and Lilies are available in abundance during the summer months, ready to spruce up your containers or add additional color to your perennial borders and beds.
We carry Old House Dahlias, grown locally by Mark Harvey, who started growing several varieties of this resilient flower in his backyard in Portland in 2003. Today, he offers more than 175 varieties of dahlias! At Portland Nursery, we support local growers like Old House Dahlias by carrying a bountiful selection of their beautiful and unique varieties.
