Bulbs for Shade Gardening

Bulbs for shade gardening elevate the appeal and look of your shady spots with refreshing flashes of color and style. As you get ready to browse through your catalogs, I'll help you explore the ins and outs of what are collectively referred to as bulbs.

What are Bulbs?

Bulb A bulb is an underground vertical shoot with modified leaves (or thick leaf bases) that store food for an undeveloped plant. For example, tulips, bluebells, daffodils.

Corm

A corm is a vertical underground stem which develops a bud at the tip and roots. For example, gladiolus.

Rhizome
A rhizome is a horizontal stem of a plant that typically thrives underground, which delivers roots and shoots out of the ground. For example, irises and lily of the valley.

Tuber
Sometimes mistaken for a bulb, a tuber is the enlarged or fleshy part of an underground stem which stores nutrients for new plants developing from buds or 'eyes'. For example, dahlia and potato.

Easy Bulbs to Plant

Although most bulbs prefer a full blanket of sun that lasts about six to eight hours per day, plant spring bulbs that flourish under the watchful eye of deciduous trees.

Early bloomers easily thrive under shady lighting conditions due to the lack of leaves on trees during their development. These blooms are considered some of the best bulbs to plant for impressive results:

• Tulips
• Daffodils
• Crocuses

Some companion selections go nicely together:

• Tuberous Begonias
• Crocus Flowers
• Grape Hyacinths
• Scillas
• Snowdrops

• Green Dragon
• Jack in the Pulpit
• Dog's tooth violet

To add an inviting arrangement, consider foliage bulbs such as the colorful red bursts of Caladiums with their attractive leaves.

When to plant bulbs

When planting your spring flowering bulbs, make sure to place them at a depth that is two to three times their height. For the majority of the most common selections—daffodils and tulips—this is around eight inches deep.

Remember to plant daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths with their root plate pointing downward and the tip of the bulb pointing towards the sky.

Avoid planting bulbs too close to trees with shallow roots—like beeches, maples, and dogwoods — as they will battle your bulbs for water and nutrients, threatening the blooms for the next year.

Adequate Fertilization

When bulbs for shade are planted close to trees and other shrubs, soil fertility is often a consideration as bulbs compete for water and nutrients.

Adequate fertilization is a must for cultivating strong plants. A spring application of balanced fertilizer is highly suggested. You should also follow-up with one to two additional applications throughout the season.

Most shade bulbs thrive in well-drained soil, while roots saturated with water will rot. If you live in a location with sandy soil, add organic material in order to slow water traveling through the soil, giving your plants a chance to absorb the liquid.

With a little effort and tender loving care, bulbs for shade gardening can easily become a wonderland of varying heights, textures, and colors.

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