Adding Spring Flowering Bulbs Provides an Important Food Source for Pollinators
What if you could plant a garden that would support pollinators, never need weeding, and become more beautiful every year? It’s possible with bulb lawns.
This planting method is no secret to the professionals; many botanic gardens feature bulb lawns in the springtime for a wildlife-friendly lawn. By planting an assortment of small, very early flowering bulbs in your yard this fall, springtime will come sooner with a bright burst of flowers.
New Age Naturalizing
Bulb lawns have much in common with planting bulbs for naturalizing. Naturalizing means planting bulbs that will multiply and come back every year with a bigger and better flower show.
Besides lawns, it’s easy to naturalize bulbs in shrub borders and perennial gardens. The bulbs will get all the spring sunshine before the trees, shrubs, and perennials leaf out.
A Great Investment
Bulb lawns can be any size. Some have been around for hundreds of years and have spread to encompass many acres, while others are small plots near deciduous trees or shrubs. No matter the size, planting a bulb lawn is easy to do and an excellent investment.
Gardeners only need to buy and plant the bulbs once, and with minimal effort, the rewards get bigger yearly. Using a bulb auger to dig the holes makes fast work of this weekend project.
Most bulbs in this assortment are squirrel, rodent, and deer resistant.
5 Reasons to Plant a Bulb Lawn
- Plant once and done
- Provides important early-season pollen and nectar for pollinators
- Squirrel, Rodent, and Deer Resistant
- Never need to weed, less work
- Low inputs, water once after planting
Lawns are Food Deserts – Make Yours a Wildlife-Friendly Lawn
It’s common in the United States to have large turf-based lawns, but this practice has many valid detractors.
While having some lawn can be practical as a place to play for children and pets or for entertaining, a bulb lawn provides an essential source of early-season pollen and nectar for pollinators. Very little else flowers that time of year, and the awakening insects need to forage. It’s a win-win for you and the environment.
Perfect for Nature Lovers
Bulb lawns are not for highly maintained lawns that use lots of nitrogen-based fertilizer and irrigation or weed killers and pesticides. Sparse lawns, on the hand, under deciduous trees, are perfect.
The area of your bulb lawn will need to be mowed a few weeks later than usual, so the bulb foliage can wither and restore the bulbs for the following year. Putting down some bulb fertilizer after the bulbs bloom is beneficial, and no other maintenance is needed.
Early Flowering Spring Bulbs for Lawns
- Allium – Short ornamental onions
- Anemone blanda – Grecian windflower
- Chionodoxa – Glory-of-the-snow
- Crocus – crocus
- Eranthis hyemalis – Winter aconite
- Fritillaria meleagris – Chequered fritillary
- Galanthus – snowdrop
- Ipheion uniflorum – Spring starflower
- Iris reticuluata – dwarf iris
- Muscari – Grape hyacinths
- Narcissus – Mini Daffodils
- Puschkinia libanotica – Striped squill
- Tulipa sylvestris – Woodland Tulip
Chose the Best Site for Your Bulb Lawn
- Choose a low-traffic area
- Most bulbs thrive in full sun but will also tolerate partial shade
- Plant bulbs under trees and shrubs; they will bloom before the foliage leafs out
- Bulbs prefer average soil with a neutral pH.
- The soil must be well-drained. No standing water.
When to Plant Your Bulbs in the Fall:
Generally speaking, spring-flowering bulbs should be planted in the fall, before the first frost and ground freezes. Find the recommended planting time for each zone below.
- September to October — Zones 4 and 5
- October to early November — Zones 6 and 7
- November to early December — Zones 8 and 9
- Late December to early January — Zone 10
Find more information and inspiring videos about bulbs at FlowerBulb.eu
Written by NGB Member: Flowerbulb.eu
About National Garden Bureau
Founded more than 100 years ago, the National Garden Bureau educates, inspires, and motivates people to grow home gardens. National Garden Bureau members are horticultural experts, and the information shared with you comes directly from these experts to ensure your gardening success.
“This post for wildlife-friendly lawns is provided as an educational/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau and our members. Please credit and link to National Garden Bureau and author member when using all or parts of this article.”
3 Comments. Leave new
I am curious about how the plants and their foliage look after they finish blooming?
The area of your bulb lawn will need to be mowed a few weeks later than usual, so the bulb foliage can wither and restore the bulbs for the following year. Putting down some bulb fertilizer after the bulbs bloom is beneficial, and no other maintenance is needed.
Thanks! I used to plant tulips and crocus that deer, etc. gobbled right up. Great to know these are resistant. Now the next step is to research *which* bulbs support *which* pollinators…