A colorful container planting really shows off your spring bloomers. Most spring flowers have a limited bloom period, but if you have early, mid and late bloomersin a balcony boxor a pot, you get a true spectacle of color that blooms all season long and not just for a few weeks. The Dutch have developed a clever planting technique that allows you to layer bulbs and soil like a lasagne. If you plant the bulbs in layers in the fall, you will be rewarded with an abundance of blooms from early spring to early summer. We'll explain to you how you can prepare a flower onion lasagne in a moment!
What is a flower bulb lasagna?
When planting lasagna, you plant different flower bulbs in several layers with some soil in between - like a lasagna. This way you get a container planting that blooms in the same pot all spring long.
The trick is to choose varieties that bloom at different times in the spring and alternate throughout the spring. When the first tier of flower bulbs has faded, the next one comes.
The best tip for a long flowering period is to plant the late bloomers at the bottom and the early bloomers at the top of the container. TheCrocus blooms in February, followed by the Scilla star hyacinth and daffodil.
Some choose a mix of just tulips, such as Fosteriana tulips, Kaufmannia tulips and Viridiflora tulips. Others only plant two layers, for example tulips combined with grape hyacinths. Keep in mind that too many layers may result in the bulbs at the bottom not reaching the top. Two to three coats are completely sufficient.
When planting flower bulbs, you should also pay attention to the recommended planting depth. It depends primarily on the size of the flower bulbs and the height of the flower. The larger they get, the deeper the bulbs have to be buried in the ground.
Plant flower bulbs in tiers –How to make a flower bulb lasagna
It may seem complicated at first glance, but creating a flower bulb lasagna is actually quite simple. The best time to plant spring flowering bulbs is from September to November.
For your lasagna planting you will need:
- A large, deep potwith holes in the bottom to allow excess water to drain away. This is important so that the flower bulbs do not rot. The pot should also be frost-proof so that it doesn't break in winter.
- expanded clay ballsas drainage at the bottom of the pot to prevent the soil from clogging the holes
- Nutrient-rich potting soil
- Spring flowering bulbs, e.g. crocuses, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and squills (Scilla)
This is how it works step by step:
1. First cover the floor with a thin layer of expanded clay balls. This will prevent the soil from leaking or clogging the drainage holes.
2. The next layer consists of about 10 cm of nutrient-rich potting soil.
3. Then place the first flower bulbs in the soil. The tip should point upwards. Start with the largest, late-blooming bulbs, e.gDaffodils, tulips or allium. Place the onions close together, but so that they do not touch each other or the sides of the pot.
4. Cover the first bulbs with about 5 cm of soil and press lightly around them. Now you can plant the next flower bulbs. Again, tulips and daffodils work well, but you can also choose hyacinths for this layer. Make sure to leave a few millimeters between them so that the stems of the bulbs underneath can fit through.
5. Continue to spread soil and bulbs alternately, with the smallest bulbs on top. To achieve great diversity in your pot, you can hereCrocuses, grape hyacinths or early-blooming daffodils.
6. Finish with a layer of soil and press it down lightly. Water the finished flower bulb lasagna well and place the pot in a protected place in the garden or garage to overwinter.
Plant flower bulbs in balcony boxes
You can also plant a flower bulb lasagna in balcony boxes. According to the same principle, 5 cm of soil and flower bulbs are alternated. However, since the balcony box has a shallow planting depth, you should choose smaller varieties.
Here are two examples:
Layer 1 – bottom layer: Armenian grape hyacinth
Layer 2 – middle layer: Daffodils 'Tête à tête'
Layer 3 - top layer: Spring crocus 'Joan of Arc'
Layer 1 - bottom layer: Water lily tulip 'Heart's Delight' (Tulipa kaufmanniana)
Layer 2 - top layer: 'Dwarf Iris Harmony'
Don't forget to water your balcony box thoroughly before placing it in a cool but frost-free place.
How does the lasagna flower bulb overwinter?
The pot with the flower bulbs should not be stored at temperatures above 9 °C in winter. The location should be cool, but not necessarily frost-free. Onions can tolerate frost and freezing temperatures very well to a certain extent. The bulbs don't need light until they start blooming in spring.
If you don't have a large garden, but e.g. B. If you want to plant tulips and other flower bulbs on the balcony, the lasagna plant can overwinter on the balcony or terrace. It is also important here that it does not get too hot (not over 9 °C) and not too wet. A Styrofoam box with a lid or perhaps a few blankets can protect the pots from the worst of the cold and keep the temperature constant.
3 beautiful examples of a flower bulb lasagne
Lasagne flower bulb in white with anemone 'White Splendor' (Anemone blanda) and hyacinth 'Carnegie' (Hyacinthus orientalis)
Flower explosion in purple and red: Triumph tulip 'Couleur Cardinal' and garden hyacinth 'Woodstock'
Beautiful blue lasagne: Armenian grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum), anemone 'Blue Shades', triumph tulip 'Blue Ribbon', pushkinia (Puschkinia libanotica), hyacinth 'Peter Stuyvesant' and Siberian squill (Scilla siberica)
