The six inches means six inches of soil on top of the bulb. But unless you live in a very cold climate, you can also dig a hole six inches deep and pop the bulb into the ground. This means a three inch bulb like a tulip or daffodil would have only three inches of soil covering it up instead of six. The bulb will bloom anyway. Planting deeper may be better for the repeating blooms of a bulb but the flower is already formed inside the bulbs you plant this fall. They just need a cold winter period, moisture and sunlight to pop out of the ground this spring. Gardening is not an exact science so just dig in and enjoy planting your bulbs. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti