- Greetings from the garden, and welcome back to Let's Grow Stuff .

My name is Ben, and today we are getting down, dirty, and creative as we install a bulb lawn.

Let's get to it.

[upbeat electronic music] A bulb lawn is a great way to bring some beauty to a time of year when we are all super desperate for color.

Now, it's a decent amount of work to install up front, but once in, like a fine wine, will just get better with time.

When choosing bulbs for your bulb lawn, there are two things to keep in mind: First, we want to choose bulbs that will naturalize, which means they will come back year after year and don't need to be replanted.

Second, remember the life cycle of bulbs.

Since we're planting these into a space that we normally mow, it's important to remember that while a bulb's leaves are still green, they are capturing and storing energy underground so that they can bloom next year.

With this in mind, think about how long you can tolerate not mowing, and maybe choose bulbs that bloom earlier in the season.

Bulbs that bloom later also go dormant later, and think about things like daffodils or hyacinth.

This means you'll need to wait to begin mowing until mid to late June when the foliage is totally dormant.

But after that, you can mow as normal.

Today, we are planting crocus, muscari, daffodils, frittilaria, and species tulips.

You'll also need a soil knife or bulb planter before digging in.

Now, I like my bulb lawns to feel as natural as possible, and there are two ways that we can lay things out to achieve this.

You can toss a handful straight up into the air, or pretend like you're bowling and toss them horizontally.

Each toss will create a different kind of pattern, and have fun with this part.

Now it's time to plant.

Keep in mind here, make sure the pointy end of each bulb is oriented upwards towards the sky, flat end towards the earth.

And each bulb should be planted at twice the depth as they are tall.

For instance, a bulb like this daffodil is about three inches tall, which means it should be planted six inches deep.

This is an approximation, so don't overthink it.

So as you can see, my techinque is fairly simple.

Using the soil knife, insert it into the sod, pull back to make a wedge, insert the bulb into the hole, and close the wedge.

With larger bulbs like daffodils, the bulb planter is your best choice because it allows you to get the bulb to the proper depth.

When you move on to plant your next bulb, it will automatically create a soil plug for you to replace the soil from the last bulb you just planted.

Once you have the bulbs in the ground, that's it.

Your bulb lawn is ready to go and will bring a new dimension of beauty to your landscape for years to come.

Now, don't forget, there is so much more to learn online at pbswisconsin.org/letsgrowstuff.

There, we have more videos, tips, tricks, and a blog to help you grow a better garden.

So until next time, happy gardening.

- Announcer: Funding for Le t's Grow Stuff is provided by American Transmission Company, Ganshert Nursery & Landscapes, Willy Street Co-op, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.