Planting aliums

KayL

i kept putting off planting 100 aliums bulbs that I bought as a special offer because I have a back problem. I got a gardener to plant about 30 of the tallest, but I really wanted to do the rest myself. So yesterday I did manage to plant them all before it started raining. I was so pleased, but then I read the directions for planting! It said plant 8 inches deep and I had planted them only about 3 inches deep because I couldn't dig deeply. Will they be alright? Will they grow properly?

Palustris

8 inches seems a bit deep to me. Depends on where you live and how well drained is your soil. Places which get very deep penetrating frosts might need to have them planted that deep, but here, ours are no where near that depth. They self seed here and those bulbs are often almost on the surface and they survive and flower.

All you can do is wait and see. Also they do sort of self regulate their depth, they can and do pull themselves down into the soil.

KayL

Thanks Berghill and Verdun, that's very reassuring!

Fairygirl

If they're  a bigger variety they'd probably be better too deep than too shallow, but as Verd and Berghill say - there are lots of factors involved with soil and your own conditions etc.

I wouldn't worry about  them too much. Alliums are very adaptable - and forgiving  

Phaidra

Hi Kay, I planted some alliums last year but I don't remember  putting  them in that deeply, just about 3 inches I think. 

It didn't, by any chance, mean to say 8cm, perhaps??  However, time will tell and if plants can survive in my garden, I'm sure they can in everyone else's!

 

Dovefromabove

They'll grow fine - they might be a bit floppy so have some bushy twigs handy to stick in the ground around them and prop them up without being too noticeable

Palustris

Planting deeply just means that the badgers dig a bigger hole to get at them. At least it does here,

Phaidra

"Planting deeply just means that the badgers dig a bigger hole to get at them. At least it does here,"

They certainly do!