If you’ve never heard of a bulb lasagne you’re probably raising your eyebrows right now. It is a real gardening ‘thing’ though!
What is a bulb lasagne?
A bulb lasagne is a clever way of layering up spring-flowering bulbs to create a display of flowers that lasts for months. Layering bulbs is really easy to do, and will give you a lovely display throughout the winter months for very little effort. What’s not to like?
Can you layer bulbs?
Flower bulbs will be perfectly happy to be layered up in a container. The important thing to get right is the order in which you plant them. The ones that flower first should be planted on the top layer, with the ones that flower next on the second layer, and so on.
When is the best time to plant spring bulbs?
It’s important to plant bulbs at the right time of year, and this varies according to the variety you choose; check the packaging if you’re not sure. Spring flowering bulbs should be planted in autumn.
If you want to plant a bulb lasagne with bulbs that flower in summer, such as gladioli and dahlias, you need to plant it in spring.
Can I plant on top of bulbs?
Absolutely. Winter bedding plants are a great way to give your display a head start before the bulbs flower.
How to plant a bulb lasagne
Autumn is the perfect time to plant spring flowering bulbs, so if you’d like to have a go at planting a bulb lasagne, here’s how to do it.
What you need to plant a bulb lasagne
Here’s a list of the things you need to plant your bulb lasagne.
- *Spring bulbs
- *Multi-purpose compost
- *Trowel
- *Gardening gloves
- Container
- Winter bedding plants
You’ll need a variety of spring bulbs that flower at different times for your container. The aim is to get a lovely display of flowers for as long as possible, so check the flowering month on the bulb packet before you buy.
Prepare your container
When planting a bulb lasagne you’re after a big impact, so you need to pack the container full of bulbs; bear this in mind when choosing a size.
It’s a good idea to put some ‘crocks’ (broken pieces of pot) in the bottom of the container to help with drainage.
Once you’ve done this, add general purpose compost to the container until it’s about one-third full.
Plant your bulb layers
Plant the latest flowering bulbs in the container, then cover them over with a layer of compost.
The bulbs that flower before the bottom layer go in next; again, cover them over with a layer of compost.
The top layer should be the bulbs that flower first.
It’s important you plant your bulbs in the right order, and it’s surprisingly easy to get mixed up! I’ve found that laying out each variety in a line before I start really helps.
Add plants to the top of your container
Your bulbs won’t flower until late winter, so you need to add plants to the top of the container to create a lovely display in the meantime. To do this, cover your top layer of bulbs with compost, then add your plants on top and fill in any gaps with more compost.
Keep your container moist, but don’t be tempted to over-water. Bulbs hate sitting in cold, soggy soil.
What to plant with bulbs in containers
Winter flowering pansies, violas, cyclamen and heather are all great options for the top of your bulb lasagne. I think it’s also worth adding in some foliage plants such as ivy, heuchera or cineraria to really boost the impact.
Great bulbs to plant in a bulb lasagne
Here are some ideas for *spring bulbs which you could use on each layer of your lasagne:
Bottom layer: tulips, hyacinths
Next layer: narcissus, daffodils, anemone, muscari (grape hyacinths)
Top layer: snowdrop, crocus, miniature iris
What to do with bulbs in containers after flowering
Your bulb lasagne should flower for you year after year, but the bulbs will benefit from a feed after a couple of seasons.
If you’d rather not leave your bulbs in their container, you can dig them up once the foliage has died back and dry them out, then store them. I have to admit I’ve never bothered doing this though, I like the low-maintenance element of leaving well alone!
I do replace the top layer of compost when I change the bedding plants, to give the whole container some fresh nutrients.
And that’s it – a quick garden job that will give you lots of blooms to enjoy in the depths of winter 🙂
More bulb planting resources
If you’re also planting bulbs in the garden, you might like to check out my post on how to plant bulbs, which has a step-by-step guide to help you get it right.
And if you’ve got lots of spring bulbs, how about forcing a few of them to flower early for indoor blooms this winter? This is another easy project – and they make great gifts too. My post on forcing bulbs shows you how to do it.
Do you think you’ll be planting a bulb lasagne? I’d love to hear what you choose to plant, I’ve still got some containers to fill so inspire me!
More nature inspiration for kids
Planting a bulb lasagne is just one of the fun nature projects in my book, *A Year of Nature Craft and Play. There’s an activity for every week of the year and it includes fun gardening projects, crafts, games, art and science experiments – perfect for inspiring kids to get creative with nature and explore the amazing natural world.
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This is such a great idea – I saw Monty Don do it on Gardeners’ World a few weeks ago and thought I must do that, but haven’t yet – you’ve inspired me! #HowToSunday
Ooh good! I did it for the first time last year and it’s definitely an annual thing for me now, so much result for so little effort!
This is such a wonderful idea. I think I am going to do one for my mum as an extra Christmas gift – I know she will love it too 🙂 #HowToSundays
I’ve done little pots of forced bulbs as gifts in the past but this would be a lovely long-lasting present for the garden – great idea!
I had never heard of a bulb lasagne until I read your post! We have kind of done that by accident as little A was helping me plant them. We decided just to buy lots of different colours and mix them up. Nowhere near as organised as your bulb lasagne!
Thanks so much for linking up to #HowtoSunday 🙂 x
Nothing wrong with a more freeform approach 🙂 Bulb planting is great for little ones isn’t it, I just wish I’d kept better track of what went where in our garden!
This is so cool! I’ve never heard of this before but it makes perfect sense. I’ll be showing that to my head gardener (my husband) as I am totally lacking green fingers! Becky x #HowtoSunday
Good plan – there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the results of someone else’s gardening!
Hi, I live in the Northeastern US and wold love to try this. Is the idea to keep the planter in the house over the winter? I wasn’t sure from the post. Thanks.
Hi Andrea, the idea is to leave the container outdoors. Here in the UK we would usually plant spring flowering bulbs in the ground in autumn, and it’s the same principle for a container. I’m not sure how severe your winters get though, so you’d be best to follow the same method as you’d normally use for planting spring bulbs. Hope that helps!
Hi, thanks for the lovely guide – I’m definitely doing this and will do a couple of smaller ones as gifts at the same time! My question is, you said this will be an annual thing for you now – does this need to be done fresh every year or can’t it be left in the same pot year after year? Maybe changing the topping to make sure it’s nice all year round?
Ooh good question! Mine generally flower year after year, and I do replace the top layer of compost when I change the bedding plants. You can also lift the bulbs once the foliage has died back and dry them out, then store them – I have to admit I’ve never bothered doing this though, I like the low-maintenance element of leaving well alone!
This is so helpful and such a good idea! Planning to plant bulbs this year and a little clueless…x
Ah really glad you’ve found it useful 🙂
I’d never heard of a bulb lasagne before, what a fantastic idea!
It’s one of those things that sounds bizarre but really works!
This has to be the best blog post title ever!! It really caught my attention and I had no idea what to expect but you’ve explained it perfectly and it makes so much sense. In terms of gardening projects it looks like even something I could manage. Thank you for linking up to #HomeEtc X
Yep it sounds weird, but it’s so easy – and it grows again year after year too, you should definitely give it a go!
Thank you for posting this. I haven’t tried this yet but I’ll most likely do in the next few weeks.
Ooh do give it a try, it’s very satisfying!
Thank you for the detailed recipe for Spring Lasagne:-)) I’m hoping to set up a pot of mine soon. Meanwhile, what do you do with them after they’ve finished flowering? Do you dig up the bulbs and store until autumn or just leave them in the pot? Thanks.
You can lift the bulbs once the foliage has died back and dry them out, then store them – to be honest I’ve never bothered doing this though, and my bulbs generally flower year after year. I do replace the top layer of compost when I change the bedding plants to give it some fresh nutrients though. Happy planting!
After a season or two, is it necessary to put fertilizer on the bulbs? I just planted my first two pots here at my home in Virginia, USA. I plan to plant some ornamental cabbage on the tops.
I’m sure the bulbs would benefit from a feed after a couple of seasons. I usually remove the top layer of compost and replace with fresh when I change the bedding plants too.
Love your post very inspiring. I have done a bulb lasagne before and oooo yes so worth it. I love the idea of planting the top up for winter interest with a heather, heuchera and pansies but do you need to remove them before the bulbs come through? If so is this tricky as you don’t want to disturb the bulbs that are starting to come through?
I’ve never removed the plants, the bulbs always seem to find their way around them. I would say it’s probably worth leaving some small gaps between the plants to make it easier for the bulbs – I would normally fill every available inch but I think it’s a good idea to be a bit more restrained here!
Can you give me some layering ideas for spring to summer bulbs for a spring summer lasagne??
Not all summer flowering bulbs are hardy, so you need to go for varieties that can cope with being planted in autumn/winter. Alliums, lilies and gladioli are all good options; alliums will probably be the first of these to flower, so if you plant more than one ‘summer’ layer put these on the top one. Then layer up your spring bulbs on top, with tulips at the bottom, daffodils/narcissus/anemone/muscari next, and snowdrop/crocus/miniature iris on the top.
Hi,
Thanks for the advice. How would you go about layering bulbs that flower from spring through to winter. Would you have to stagger when you plant each layer as they are planted at different times?
Yes I think you would have to stagger the planting to be sure of a good result. Some summer flowering bulbs (alliums, gladioli, lilies) can be planted in autumn/winter and can go in at the same time as your spring flowering bulbs, but if you want to plant bulbs that flower in autumn/winter (nerines, dahlias, cyclamen, autumn crocus, snowdrops) these shouldn’t be planted until spring at the earliest.
You could try adding your summer/autumn flowering bulbs to the container in spring, but this might be a bit tricky as your spring bulbs will still be putting on a show. I think the best option would probably be to plant two containers, one with spring and summer flowering bulbs, and one with summer and autumn/winter flowering bulbs.
Thanks, I thought as much but hoped you would have some amazing hack.
Oh my goodness! I’ve just come across this article and I can’t wait to try this! What diameter pot would you suggest? I’m a bit of a novice and don’t have much gardening knowledge just yet!
Good question! The answer really depends on the amount of bulbs you want to plant. A 30cm diameter pot is plenty big enough to create a lovely display, but you could go smaller or bigger if that suits your space better. The important thing is to space your bulbs apart in each layer according to the planting instructions on the packet – this gives them the room they need to grow. If you start with your pot, you can buy the right amount of bulbs to fit it, or do it the other way round and choose a pot that has enough space for the bulbs you have. Hope that helps!