Question of the Week
When Can I Mow Bulbs Planted in the Lawn?
Thursday May 14, 2009
We've had this question before, but it tends to come up every spring. Planting bulbs to naturalize in the lawn sounds like a great idea in October, but it can turn into an eye sore in the spring. So, do bulbs planted in a lawn have to be allowed to yellow and die on their own, like bulbs planted in the garden? And if so, will mowing too soon hurt them? Good question. A spring lawn glowing with scilla or dotted with crocus is stunning, but the lingering foliage can be an eye sore. However, if you want your bulbs to thrive, naturalize and bloom for years to come, you need to let them go through their normal cycle and store as much food as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to live with an eye sore. There are a few tips to making the dieback process as painless as possible. Here’s how to plant and care for bulbs in the lawn in the fall and in the spring..
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
I often tie my daffodils into little balls…but they look terrible…do you have any suggestions for hiding them in a flower bed once they are bloomed out?
“They” say bundling the leaves reduced the amount of leaf surface exposed to sunlight and decreases the plant’s ability to photosynthesize and store food. Makes sense. So that’s one less tedious garden chore we need to worry about.
I have the same problem. The neighboring plants aren’t tall enough to hide the fading daffs. The best I’ve come up with is to flatten the foliage along the ground, so at least at a distance, they’re less noticeable. Once I start to see yellow or brown, they’re all cut back.