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Planting Allium Bulbs

YviestevieYviestevie Posts: 7,066

I have received my allium bulbs from the mag.  I read the instructions and it said to plant them between 6 - 8 inches.  Now I always thought you should plant bulbs around 3 times their depth.  The information did not specify a different depth for each bulb and some were quite small.  I planted them as instructed, now I'm worried I've done the wrong thing.

Hi from Kingswinford in the West Midlands

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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Two to three times their depth is the norm Yvie, so smaller bulbs will be nearer the surface.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • YviestevieYviestevie Posts: 7,066

    That means I have planted them all too deep and I doubt if they will flower.  Not sure I can face digging them all up again.

    Hi from Kingswinford in the West Midlands
  • YviestevieYviestevie Posts: 7,066

    Just had a look at planting instruction from Sarah Raven on the internet and she says the small ones should be planted at between 10 and 15 cm which is between 4 and 6 inches now thats definitely more than 3 times the depth of the bulbs I received.  The larger ones should be 15 cm again thats more than three times the size of the bulbs. I really dont know what to do now.

    Hi from Kingswinford in the West Midlands
  • I wondered the same Yvie, I thought it was a bit deep. I've only planted the Ost ones so far (can't remember the full name) and I went for a compromise of about 4"...I'll probably mulch later on though...

    Wearside, England.
  • chickychicky Posts: 10,409

    Sure i heard somewhere recently (?GW) that it is a mistake to plant bulbs too shallowly, but you can almost never plant them too deeply - they always find their way up - so I'd leave them

  • Don't the plants find their way to the top of the soil however you plant them?  Maybe they just take a little longer?  I'm not sure how accurate my planting is, but the bulbs always seem to grow.  Surely the shoots will make their way to the light?  Just a thought ...

  • YviestevieYviestevie Posts: 7,066

    It said something in the instruction about planting them to ensure they are sturdy.  I am going to leave them. I planted 8 Christophii (not sure if thats correct spelling) and only 4 came up.  I planted them by the 3 times depth calculation so maybe last year I planted them to shallow. 

    Hi from Kingswinford in the West Midlands
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,617

    Plant alliums deep especially the big purple pom pom types, like globemaster, or they split and form lots of little bulbs after the first year, and they don't flower as well.

  • Deeper must be better than shallower, if there is such a word!!!!image Unless you treat them as annuals and pull them up and replace them each year. (I have given up trying to naturalise tulips, but that is another issue altogether.)

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