Gardening Expert Shares Simple ‘Bulb Lasagna’ Planting Hack That Gives Months of Blooms Throughout Spring

Plants undergo a complex recipe to serve a flamboyant and fragrant visual buffet every spring. Like humans, all plants have a memory and a genetic structure. Specific genes carry instructions for a photosensitive protein that tells the plant when to grow its flowers. In wintertime, when days become shorter, and there is less daylight, bushes drop their leaves. As the veil of winter lifts away and there’s sufficient light for the proteins to react, they get activated and instruct the plant to sprout into flowers. These spring blooms then decorate house terraces and garden beds till the end of summer.

But sometimes this process doesn’t happen all by itself. Sometimes, it requires some human effort. In a TikTok video, Hannah Rowson (@jparkerbulbs), Assistant Garden Centre Manager at J. Parker’s, a gardening supplies retailer, shared the viral “bulb lasagne method” to ensure that these fabulous florets bloom throughout the season. The short clip showed a tall brown planter filled up to half with compost and layered with daffodil bulbs. In the next layer of soil, she sprinkled the flowering bulbs of hyacinths, followed by large crocuses. She topped off the three layers with a thick layer of grit. These blooms won’t need much attention during winter and autumn seasons for remarkable results, she told The Sun.

But there are certain points to keep in mind while working on this “bulb lasagne.” The first point relates to the size of the flowering pot. “Choose a pot that’s deep enough to accommodate the tallest bulbs,” she told The Sun. “As a general rule of thumb, for a two-layered "bulb lasagne," your pot needs to be at least 6-8 inches deep, and even deeper still if you’re planning on adding more layers.” She also advised choosing a pot that has adequate drainage, so the plant doesn’t get waterlogged in the wetter months.

She suggested that after layering the planter with compost, bulbs, and grit, it should be placed in a sheltered spot with sufficient sunlight. Plus, "I prefer planting the bulbs in moist soil and letting the weather handle the rest,” she said. Many of the thousands of people who watched the video, responded to Rowson saying they loved the gardening tip and would give it a try. @patt.foundation and @ededwards1 wrote comments like “fab” and “fascinating” about the planting method.

The “bulb lasagne” is a popular gardening method that layering in a smaller pot or container just like making pasta or lasagna. According to Country Living, Celebrity gardener and horticulturist David Domoney, once said that this method is quite similar to “fitting a lightbulb.” The way one inserts a flowering bulb into the compost mirrors the way a lightbulb is adjusted in the socket. “Ensuring that the tip is pointing upwards and the roots downwards, the lightbulb technique involves pushing and twisting the bulb into place just like how you would fit a lightbulb,” the expert explained. He advised that the bulb should always be “pushed and twisted” so the bottom of the bulb hits the bottom of the soil.

Just as Rowson planted the combination of daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses, Wayside Gardens suggested various combos gardeners can try for a "bulb lasagne," such as “alliums-muscaris-anemones,” “hyacinths-narcissus-snowdrops,” and “tulips-daffodils-crocuses.” Given that a "bulb lasagne" is an easy and efficient way to make the best use of outdoor space, it has become a popular gardening trend. “Because gardening shouldn't cost a fortune,” she wrote in the video caption. Several gardening experts including, Monty Don (@themontydon) have vouched for this planting hack.

You can follow Hannah Rowson (@jparkerbulbs) on TikTok for more gardening tips.