Camassia bulbs & Allium bulbs

Tads

???????? please may I ask for advice on the type of soil which is best for planting Camassia bulbs & Allium bulbs.  ive bought some online & they are arriving today for me to plant n this Guildford garden, (my daughters) where everything is grown in containers of some sort, because the soil is poor ( a mixture of clay & rubble, left by builders ! ????).  Is there a speciific "potting soil" for bulbs?    As well, how often should I water them now, during winter months, & when would I start "feeding them" /or not ?   "Thankyou" ???? ????  all advice will be most welcome ???? 

gardenninggranny

I don't know about camassias, but alliums come in all shapes and sizes.  I plant them in ordinary garden soil, or if they have to be in a pot a multipurpose compost.  More importantly will be planting at the correct depth - the taler ones (like Christophii and Globemaster ) need to be quite deep, whilst the tiny ones like Roseum mustn't be too deep.  I expect you will get instructions when the bulbs arrive. Feeding, as for most bulbs, is after flowering.  I use tomato fertiliser if I have run out of home-made comfrey manure.  Multipurpose is not ideal though and adding some proper soil will greatly improve things.

nutcutlet

camassias like more moisture in the soil than alliums do.

Fairygirl

Kind of opposites - sharp drainage and sun for alliums, and moisture retentive soil for Camassias. They can take a bit of shade too.

Mix plenty of rotted manure and grit into the soil where you want the alliums and plant all the bulbs in a hole about three times the depth of the bulb, ie the depth of soil above the bulb should be about twice the depth of the bulb.If they're all being planted in containers rather than directly in the ground, you can use multi purpose compost initially. I'd use a soil based compost for the Camassias though, as compost alone will be a bit lightweight for them. Each year, you'd need to replace some of that soil/compost to replensih the nutrients. 

None of the bulbs will need watering over winter - they'll get enough moisture from the soil. I don't feed bulbs - leaving the foliage to die back naturally is what feeds the bulb for the following year. 

Tads

"thank you for responding so promptly ?  " gardening granny", "nutcutlet" & " Fairygirl" ??