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Bulbs for the Australian Garden

With so many garden worthy bulbs for sale online, one of the easiest and quickest ways to add some colour to the garden is by planting Bulbs Corms and Tubers. They can be planted in the garden border, in pots and even grown in vases.

In Australia we have access to an unbelievable range of garden bulbs, many grown by and available to buy from direct from specialist growers.

Flowering bulbs fall into a number of categories, and they can be divided up according to the season that they flower in, the species or growing requirements, and or of course listed by country of origin. With many species we include photographs to assist with identification.

 

When to Buy Bulbs

Nearly all bulbs for the garden are sold online are only available during dormancy, this is for ease of postage and it also allows you to plant at the right time of the year. So plan ahead with our seasonal guide flowering bulbs.

It is important when planting bulbs to select good quality bulbs direct from the grower. Bulbs offered for sale should not be soft, damaged, show any sign of disease or have a ‘bad smell’. Start with good quality bulbs from reputable suppliers.

We have also included in this list of bulbs Rhizomatous garden plants that flower in the winter as well as bulbous 

Spring Bulb List
Spring Flowering Bulbs
Summer Bulb List
Summer Flowering Bulbs
Autumn Bulb List
Autumn Flowering Bulbs
Winter Bulb List
Winter Flowering Bulbs

  • Bulbs for Indoors

    Many bulbs are suitable for growing indoors, or at least for flowering indoors. Perhaps the best are the Hippeastrum and Clivia both do well indoors in a well lit position, filtered light is best. With great showy flowers in late winter hippeastum are easy to care for and can be rested outside in a shaded position when dormant as can clivia.

Garden Bulb Planting Factors

A few things to consider when planting bulbs

  • depth
  • drainage / moisture requirements
  • sun
  • soil ph
  • temperature and humidity

If you can get these things right you can grow and successfully flower most garden bulbs, detailed growing instructions should come with bulbs, we also provide a guide in each species section.

Planting Garden Bulbs in the Garden or Containers.

It is important when planting bulbs to select good quality bulbs direct from the grower. Bulbs should not be soft, damaged, show any sign of disease or have a ‘bad smell’. Start with good quality bulbs from reputable suppliers. 

How to plant bulbs

Bulbs need to planted at the correct time for maximum performance. Bulbs also need to be planted the correct way up and at the correct depth. The general rule for planting spring flowering bulbs is to place them 2-3 times as deep as the height of the bulb itself, pointy end up. Many summer flowering bulbs have different requirements, so ask for instructions if in doubt. Some bulbs need to be planted with the neck of the bulb at or above ground level.

Many flower bulbs perform well in pots, but be careful of watering requirements and also be aware that pots placed in the sun can get very hot.

Propagating new plants from Bulbs.

Bulbs are propagated by division or from seed. Division is easiest for the home gardener, propagating bulbs by seed is excellent for the more experienced gardener. Some bulbs may take 7 years to flower from seed.

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