If you have bulbs planted upside down in your garden, do not panic because they will most likely still grow and bloom for you. The bulb wastes some energy sending its shoot the long way around to reach the surface. Most healthy bulbs can handle this extra effort and still produce flowers in spring when the time comes.
Learning which way to plant bulbs saves your bulbs from doing extra work underground. The simple rule is pointed end up for every bulb you put in the ground this fall. The pointed tip holds the shoot that will push up toward sunlight. The flat bottom with dried root bits faces down into the soil.
I once watched what happened when I dug up a tulip I knew I had planted upside down by mistake. The shoot had grown in a complete U-turn around the bulb body to find its way up. That bulb bloomed but the stem looked bent and the flower came up shorter than the others around it in my bed.
The biology behind this involves a process called geotropism that guides plant growth. Shoots always grow toward light no matter what direction you point them at planting time. Roots always grow toward gravity and down into the soil. Even an upside down bulb figures out which way is up and sends parts in the right directions.
American Meadows says most spring bulbs can survive wrong-end-up planting without too much trouble. The bulb simply uses more stored energy to correct the mistake you made during planting. This may mean a smaller flower or shorter stem that first year as the bulb recovers from the extra work.
Good bulb orientation planting starts with looking at each bulb before you drop it in the hole. Most bulbs have an obvious pointed tip on one end and a flat or slightly concave base on the other end. That pointed tip always goes up toward the sky in your planting hole.
Some bulbs look almost round and make it hard to tell which end is which at first glance. In my experience, look for the tiny dried roots on the flat base which show you the bottom of the bulb. If you still cannot tell pointed end up bulbs from the other way, just plant the bulb on its side instead.
Planting sideways works fine when you cannot figure out the right way up for an odd shaped bulb. The shoot will find its way to the surface with less bending than a fully upside down bulb would need. Roots will head down just like they should no matter which way the bulb sits in your hole.
Your bulbs have survived worse things than a little confusion about direction in the planting hole. Focus on proper planting depth and good soil rather than stressing about perfect bulb direction every time. A healthy bulb knows what to do and will reward you with blooms no matter how you drop it in the ground.
Tulip bulbs have the most obvious pointed tips that make them easy to orient in your planting holes. Daffodil bulbs show their shoot tip clearly too with a distinct point on one end of the oval shape. Crocus corms can be trickier since they look more round but still have a flat side that goes down in the soil.
Take an extra second with each bulb to check the direction before you cover it with soil. This small habit saves your bulbs energy and gives you stronger blooms in spring. Your garden will look better and your bulbs will have more energy stored for the following year too.
Read the full article: When to Plant Bulbs for Spring Blooms
