How to Grow Summer Flowering Bulbs: Dahlia, Lilies, and Gladiola
These bold and lovely flowers are simple to grow if you follow these steps!
Plant summer flowering bulbs in full sun. Prepare planting beds with a ratio of 50/50 Sloat Planting Mix to native soil, and apply E.B. Stone Organics Sure Start at planting time. Once a bulb is planted, take a bamboo stick and mark its location in the garden bed. This is also helpful because as the flower stem starts to grow, you’ll have something to tie the stem to.
Dahlias: place Dahlia tubers in the soil with their roots pointing downward and stems up. (Note: Dahlias have 2-3 tubers that dangle down and a woody crown with a small stem). Plant them just below the surface of the soil.
Gladiola “bulbs” are called corms. Point them upward when planting (you can tell which side is up because there’s an onion-like point). Plant them 3-4 inches deep, 5-6 inches apart, and stake them. What’s fun about Gladiolas is you can plant them at 6-week intervals to have a succession of flowers, summer through fall.
Lilies need to be planted about 5inches deep.
To grow summer bulbs in a container: Use organic potting soil
New baby leaves of Dahlia and Lily are attractive to slugs and snails. Use Sluggo at the time of planting to protect new growth as it emerges.
Watch a quick video about planting summer flowering bulbs:
