Planting flowering bulbs introduces color into the landscape, especially during early spring. While many people plant bulbs in formal beds or containers, a specific method creates a more permanent and informal display. This technique is known as “naturalizing,” and it establishes a self-sustaining population of flowers. The goal is to achieve a long-lasting, meadow-like appearance that returns and multiplies year after year without human intervention.
What Naturalizing Bulbs Actually Means
Naturalizing bulbs is a planting technique focused on the long-term establishment and self-propagation of flowers, not just a single season’s display. This involves selecting specific bulb varieties that are genetically inclined to multiply readily. These varieties are planted in an informal, scattered arrangement. Naturalizing varieties differ from standard perennial bulbs because they actively spread into surrounding areas, either by underground division (creating offsets) or by successfully self-seeding.
This self-sustaining quality means the planting requires almost no intervention after the initial effort, making it a low-maintenance approach. A naturalized planting grows in density and coverage over time, potentially increasing from hundreds to thousands of bulbs. In contrast, many highly-hybridized bulbs are simply perennializing, meaning they return for several years but do not reliably multiply and spread like true naturalizers. The desired outcome of naturalizing is a dynamic and expansive colony that mimics the random distribution found in nature.
Selecting the Best Bulbs and Natural Sites
The success of a naturalized display depends on choosing bulbs with a strong tendency to multiply in their location. Select species known for their hardiness and ability to tolerate competition from surrounding turf or plants. Reliable choices include:
- Certain species of Crocus, such as Crocus tommasinianus, which multiply rapidly by offset and seed.
- Miniature Daffodils (Narcissus).
- Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica).
- Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis).
- Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii).
The location must offer conditions conducive to the bulb’s full life cycle, especially allowing the foliage to mature undisturbed. Ideal sites mimic natural environments, such as open woodland floors, where they receive sun before deciduous trees leaf out. They also thrive in areas of lawn or meadow that can be left unmown until late spring, allowing the plants to complete the necessary energy-storage process. Choosing a location with well-draining soil is important, as bulbs are highly susceptible to rot in soggy conditions.
Planting for a Wild, Undulating Display
To achieve the spontaneous look of a natural display, the planting method must be deliberately informal and random. A common technique is to gently scatter the bulbs over the chosen area and then plant each one precisely where it lands, avoiding any straight lines or uniform spacing. This ensures the final display flows organically with the landscape. Bulbs should be planted in large, sweeping drifts or groups for maximum visual impact, rather than in small, isolated clumps.
The general rule for depth is to plant the bulb three times its own height, with the pointed end facing upward. When naturalizing in a lawn, planting large groups is easier if a section of turf is lifted and rolled back. This allows the soil underneath to be loosened before the bulbs are scattered. Once the flowers fade in the spring, the most important step for long-term naturalization is post-flowering care, specifically managing the foliage.
The leaves must be left completely intact until they naturally yellow and die back, a process that can take six to eight weeks. During this period, the foliage uses photosynthesis to capture solar energy, which is then transferred back down to the bulb for storage. This stored energy is necessary to fuel the next season’s bloom and the formation of new offsets. Cutting the foliage back prematurely reduces the bulb’s ability to recharge, weakening it and potentially preventing future flowering.