How to Plant a Bulb Lawn
Tracy Teuscher
HOW TO PLANT A BULB LAWN OR MEADOW
Want to help the early spring bees? Fall and early winter are perfect times of the year to plant a bulb lawn meadow for the early-emerging native bees and butterflies.
You can create a spring bulb meadow by planting a section of your lawn, or by creating "bulb lanes" alongside mown walking paths.
1. This is called naturalizing a bulb lawn.
2. Gorgeous bulb lawns have been around for hundreds of years in European countries.
3. Naturalizing bulbs in your lawn is low cost, low maintenance, and high reward for native pollinators.
4. Bulb lawns are absolutely beautiful and the bulbs will continue to spread over time.
The wonderful thing about this idea is that you don't have to mow your bulb lawns, lanes, or meadows until after they are done blooming. This creates beautiful sections of flowers or paths surrounded by flowering bulbs, and saves you a ton of time and energy when compared to a traditional turf lawn.
Instructions
OHIO IDEAS: Consider crocus, nodding onion, white trillium, wild hyacinth, and snowdrops! Some spring bulbs come in a handy-dandy mix. Check with your local nursery.
1. Dig your holes evenly throughout the "lane" or "meadow" you're creating. (You can use a bulb auger, or a bulb auger drill bit to make it easier to dig holes.)
2. Sprinkle in a little bulb fertilizer. Place the bulbs root side down, pointy side up, and cover with soil.
3. Deter the squirrels from digging up your lovely bulb meadows by applying something natural. Some ideas include peppermint oil spray (like Mighty Mint), coffee grounds, or garlic powder. You can also try natural Critter Ridder, which smells like cloves. Then, cover the bulb areas with some mulched leaves to create a barrier. This is also really good for the soil, and the native bees, moths, and butterflies like to cozy up in them during cool spells.
4. Wait for the magic to happen in the spring. TA DA!
BONUS: The bulbs will continue to spread each year, replacing the turf lawn with romantic spring gardens that come back every year. (Turf lawns are the ecological equivalent of asphalt.)
Check out this helpful video.