Bulb Planting

As I have mentioned before I am a Zone Gardener at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Even though it is currently winter and there is not much going on horticultural-wise, we can still do small things to prepare the Park for spring. This week we planted 8,000 Spanish Bluebell bulbs in the hope that, come spring, my zone on Pier 1 will be filled with a vibrant blue.

So, how do you plant 8,000 bulbs?

With a small shovel, a pair of gloves, and some hot chocolate.

First, I cleared some of the fall debris away to make it easier to dig in the ground and also mark where I already put bulbs.

Because we want these bulbs to naturalize, or return year after year, we had to make sure that we planted the bulb right-side up. Like a clove of garlic, the bottom is discernible by small hairs and the top is usually marked by an emerging stem.

Next, hold the shovel like a dagger or ski pole and dig into the earth. Then pull the shovel towards you creating a hole about four times as deep as the bulb's size.

Drop the bulb in oriented the correct way.

Start your next hole directly in front of the bulb you just planted and follow the same dagger/dig move. The soil you remove from your second hole will automatically cover your first hole, eliminating any need to cover it yourself. Magic!

Here are some of my fellow volunteers digging away.

Hopefully by May this area will be full of bright, blue petals!

Check out Brooklyn Bridge Park's blog for more information and photos! Brooklyn Bridge Park