How to plant Spring bulbs

The images show how to plant spring bulbs

The most important thing when planting spring bulbs is to plant to the correct depth, otherwise there is a real chance they will not flower.

1. Dig a hole with a long-handled bulb planter and plant the bulb at a correct depth, which is  3x the bulb size. Therefore, plant smaller bulbs like snowdrops and crocus shallower than larger tulip bulbs.

 3. The pointy end of the plant goes up.

4. Replace the earth pl/fill in hole and firm in, after planting.

I find planting spring bulbs much easier with a bulb planted, and preferably a long-handled bulb planter, especially if you are planting a lot of bulbs. Crocus has a good selection, affiliate link to Bulb planters.

Most bulbs have a discernible flat end and a pointed end, or nose as shown in third top image. It's easy to remember the flat end goes at the bottom and the pointed nose end pointing upwards.

Most bulbs with the exception of Tulips will reappear each year and flower well.

If you are planting into the borders, the correct planting depth is important (this does not apply to container planting.)

Cyclamen 2.5 cms (1") 

Fritillaria meleagris (snakeshead)  5cms (2")

 Crocus,  Iris Reticulata, and Scilla 7.5cms (3") 

Galanthus Snowdrops 10cms (4")

Muscari 10cms (4")

Hyacinthus 12cms (5")

 Narcissus and Tulip 15cms (6")

We all want our Crocus to look like the image on the left, but what if they are more like the flowers on the right? Perhaps you selected your Crocus bulbs to have lovely striped interiors which you didn't see, other than the odd glimpse. 
This is because Crocus flowers are sensitive to light. They close their petals at night and open in the morning, but only in the right conditions. If you don't plant crocuses in a sunny spot, or if the spring lacks sunlight, few flowers will bloom. In botanical terms, this is called nyctinasty. It is associated with night and day, but Crocus also close up ( external; video) when the light is poor. Other common plants which do this are Tulip, Californian Poppy, and Morning Glory.

All this group need to be planted in a sunny spot for the best displays.