NATURALIZING FLOWERS

It's hard for the average person to find enough time to tend a garden from spring through fall year after year. If you’re this person then planting naturalizing flowers is for you.  They are easy to grow and need little care.

TENDING NATURALIZING FLOWER BULBS

Naturalizing flowers are perennial plants that will grow and bloom yearly with little or no care. Flower bulbs are very successful at surviving and thriving on their own. As the years pass, the planted bulbs may start to produce less flower blooms. This occurs after several years because of over crowding, and it is probably time to thin the bulbs out. Transplant the bulbs after the foliage turns yellow or brown. Use a shovel and cut the ground on the outer side of the foliage. Then lift a large clump out of the hole. There are usually many bulbs that can be transplanted elsewhere.

PLANTING

The only time required for planting many naturalizing flower bulbs is the time it takes to dig a hole. Then placing a bulb in the hole and finally refilling the hole with the same dirt that you dug out. The best part is that you only have to plant naturalizing bulbs once to have beautiful blooms that come back every year. The hardest part to planting naturalizing flower bulbs is remembering where you planted them.

BENEFITS

Naturalizing flower bulbs are the best flowers in the world as far as we are concerned. This group of flowers don’t seem to care what grows (or does not grow) beside them. They are often planted along fences, under trees in a field and in meadows. They are also great for planting in places that cannot be mowed. For instance, they can be planted around rocks or on a steep slope.  

Crocus Bulbs Crocus are among of the earliest flower bulbs to bloom, often before the last snowfall.  They are about 4 to 5 inches tall and come in several colors.  We like to plant crocus bulbs near a window so we don't have to go outside in the cold to enjoy seeing them bloom.  Zones 4-8.		Spanish Bluebells Spanish bluebells get about 15 to 18 inches tall and bloom in spring.  They do great in full sun or partly sunny areas.  We get more and more of these flower bulbs each year.  They look best when planted in groups.  Zones 3-9.
Irises Irises begin blooming in this area in April and continue to do so in May. They can grow anywhere from a foot tall to over 3 feet tall. The naturalizing flower bulbs come in a rainbow of colors and many varieties.  Each year it seems that more and more colors are available. Some of the different types are Siberian, German, Dutch, dwarf, Japanese and reblooming irises. We use the bare root type, or rhyzomes, for naturalizing.  Their roots like to be in the dirt but that is about all.  In fact, after thinning out a group of them and leaving them lay on the ground, we have seen irises root and grow by themselves.  However, we do not advise planting your flower bulbs in this manner if you really care about the final results.  The zones will vary a little depending on the type chosen.		Daffodil Bulbs Some daffodils are also some of the earliest bloomers.  They are a sign of spring and there are several varieties to choose from.   Some varieties will bloom later in the spring.  Most of these flower bulbs grow between 12 to 20 inches tall depending on what variety you select.  Where we are located, the flower bulbs pictured here often begin to bloom in late February. Daffodils do great in partly sunny areas.  They do good in full sun but their color and blooming time will last longer with some shade each day. We have seen daffodils grow in sandy, rocky, and clayish dirt.  Zones 3-9.
Blue Grape Hyacinths Grape hyacinths are about 6 to 8 inches tall.  They too will grow among the grass and weeds. These flower bulbs begin to bloom in March with the daffodils.  It takes a while for the blooms to arrive this way, but through trial and error we discovered that we could take the seeds after the flower bulbs bloom, and just throw them on the ground.  They will plant themselves and they will come up.  Since they appear before the grass and weeds get to tall, a yard full of these look really nice.  Very easy stuff for the results that you get in return. Zones 2-9.		Shamrocks Shamrocks make wonderful border flowers.  The leaves look like clover leaves and create a nice full rounded mound.  The flower bulbs produce small pink flowers that hover over the foliage in abundance.  Shamrocks bloom from spring through fall. They are about 8 to 10” tall, and will grow in full sun but require little. These naturalizing flower bulbs look especially nice along walkways, driveways, next to the house and the outer edge of flower beds.
Old Fashion Daylilies Old fashion daylilies make wonderful yard or field flowers.  They grow from about 2 to 3 feet tall and produce many blooms from each plant.  In our zone they start blooming in May. Daylilies are good to plant in places that are hard to mow, for instance, along creek banks or among rocks. As they start multiplying they tend to smother out many grasses and weeds. Zones 3-10.		Pink Surprise Lily These naturalizing flower bulbs are called pink surprise lilies in this area and are quite plentiful. They are called surprise lilies because the foliage comes out in the spring then withers away. Later when the blooms come up  in July, it’s a surprise because that is all that comes up and it only takes a few days to get about 30 inches tall.  Zones 3-8.

Red Spider Lilies
In the fall after all of our other flower bulbs are mowed over or trimmed down for the winter, usually in September, our red spider lilies will bring more beautiful blooms.  These flower bulbs even thrive and reproduce under our cedar trees where few weeds even try to grow.  Everyone in this area call these flower bulbs red surprise lilies because like the Amaryllis the foliage comes up in the spring and then just the flower comes up in September.  Spider lilies thrive in full sun and in shadier areas.
Zones 7-10.