Beautiful Bulbs Come From Bulb Foliage

It's annoying.

Your beautiful tulips, daffodils, and other bulbs have bloomed and now you're left with the foliage. You might think it's unsightly, or even ugly (I actually like it, it adds variety and texture), especially as it starts falling down or turning yellow. So what do you do with it? Do you cut it off and be done with it? Or do you deal with it? That depends on how you want your bulbs to look next Spring.

Bulb foliage is very important to a bulb. The foliage is where the photosynthesis (basically the process that occurs in a plant turning sunlight to sugars, or food) occurs. Without the foliage the bulb won't be able to store the food it needs to bloom beautifully next spring. In fact, cutting the foliage too early may weaken the bulb and eventually cause its death.

So when can you get rid of the foliage? Once it turns yellow and starts dying back on its own you can cut it off.

Another important part of getting healthy bulbs for next spring is deadheading. Once the blooms are spent they need to be removed so that seed pods don't form. Seed pods will take the valuable carbohydrates (food) away from the bulb's storage, making it weaker and affecting next spring's blooms.

So you have to deal with the foliage to have beautiful blooms next spring. But there's got to be some way to make it look better, right? So how can you make your bulb foliage an attractive part of your garden? Plant plenty of perennials and annuals around it, taller and smaller, to lead the eye away from it and make it look like it's supposed to be there.

So in conclusion, pretend it's an ornamental grass if you have to, but DO NOT cut your bulb foliage before it dies on its own!

Want help? Give me a call at 801-885-3178, post a comment, or email me at gardengoddesses@hotmail.com.

Lara Cummings
Garden Goddesses
Life is a garden. Grow a good one.