Bulb Spacing

[FredPuli43]

Have a whole load of alliums and tulips to plant in one central bed. Depth of planting I have, but how far apart should I space the individual bulbs, one lot as a mass of alliums and one as a mass of tulips?

[Clanad]

Re: Alliums... You'll be sorry... Alliums will reseed themselves nearly infinitely and are entirely unmanageable. However, the tulip bulbs should go at least 4 to 6 inches in the ground, at least here in the western U.S. We plant our tulips about now or within the next couple of weeks. Additionally we actually plant them about 6 to nearly 8 inches in the ground, cover with maybe 3 to 4 inches of soil and plant earlier blooming Grape Hyacinths or daffodils directly on top of them... makes an interesting a lovely spring garden, especially if we get a late snow...

[Clanad]

Reread question... plant tulips (and daffodils, if chosen) about 2 to 3 inches apart... maybe a little more if the bulbs are large. In a year or three you should dig them and separate them anyway... casting aside the small and deformed ones...

[woofgang]

Fred distance isn't important IMO. I dig a hole and then plonk the bulbs in in 3's and 5's or 7's if the space is big enough. Sometimes the bulbs are actually touching.
Clanad, I can't keep Alliums going at all....would love it if they would self seed!

[woofgang]

Clanad is dead right about deep enough, rule of thumb is twice the depth of the bulb at least. I have got tubs that are triple layered with small crocusses, early daffs, then late daffs On top of that are cyclamen and camellias.

[gness]

I hold a handful at arms length.....head height ...drop them and plant where they land...x

[Robinia]

lol woofy, you took the words off my keypad...I plonk bulbs in anyhow & I can't keep alliums going either.

[FredPuli43]

Thanks all. Should give the planting of small bulbs, such as muscari, 'on top' of them a try, too

[maggiebee]

I always plant tulips and daffies in clumps, but quite deep. Muscari I try to get rid of, they spread like mad. Never tried alliums.

[FredPuli43]

Really, Maggie? I could do with things that spread like mad. Muscari, liatris (! Well, I learn to live with it), my cyclamen are doing it, rhus is colonising one corner, but I draw the line at sycamore (my woodman observed that, come the end of the world, only sycamore and cockroaches will be left). I even have oaks that appeared from nowhere, courtesy of the local jays, all in the wrong place but spreading.. The more the merrier; beats a garden full of nettles any day !