The Right End Up

• Flower stalks grow from a bulb's narrow end.baby flower. close-up of hyacinths image by joanna wnuk from Fotolia.com
  
  Place the root plate of a bulb in the ground first. This end of a bulb looks like the base of an onion. Place the "nose" end of the bulb, which is usually pointed, upward in the soil. If the bulb has the previous season's shriveled flower stalk attached to it, plant that end upward.
  
  

Planting Requirements

• Even bulbs planted in the wrong direction usually come up. However, bulbs might not produce well if they don't receive enough sunlight. Most bulbs need 5 to 6 hours daily of full sun and, for best flowering, 8 to 10 hours of sun. Most bulbs also need well-draining soil.
  
  

Planting Depth

• Planting depth varies with bulb size but a general rule is to plant bulbs at a depth three times the bulb's diameter. If planting depth is uncertain, it is better to plant bulbs too deeply than to plant them in too little soil.