Join Us for “Fall For Bulbs” Weekend
This welcome and chilly rain is Mother Nature’s way of letting you know now is time to focus on planting bulbs for spring. During our “Fall For Bulbs” weekend we will have bins of fresh bulbs to pick and choose from to make your favorite combination.
With fall holidays coming up think about hostess gifts of flower bulbs. Wrapped up with a pretty bow in a brown paper bag your gardening friends will be delighted. During our Fall For Bulbs weekend we will have demonstrations on planting bulbs, a raffle and a new collection of fall gifts. I hope to see you there!
-Megan
Plant Fall Bulbs to Bring Vibrant Blooms to Your Garden
Do you do this? Check every tiny melted opening in the snow for signs of life when spring finally comes? Nothing fades those winter blues like seeing the first crocus push up through the snow! The cool days of fall put me in the mood to think about planting bulbs for spring. With each little bulb I put in the ground now I smile to myself, thinking about the joy I will feel in spring when that vibrant flower greets me after a long cold winter. It’s kind of like giving yourself a surprise gift in the future! So here are some tips and ideas about planting bulbs-
The magic of bulbs! They are low maintenance, bloom early and most spread as the years go by. Some bulbs, particularly daffodils “naturalize” which means that they propagate by division, with new bulbs attached to the old one each year. An area where you have planted naturalizing bulbs will fill in with many more of the flowers over time. Besides daffodils, crocus, grape hyacinth, scilla and snowdrop bulbs naturalize well. Interesting that these bulbs are also deer resistant.
I once planted 1000 daffodils for an elderly woman in her woods, where she intended to be buried when she passed away, (I know that sounds creepy, but hey, Halloween isn’t too far away)! It was actually really beautiful. I went back to the site 10 years later, and there must have been over 10 thousand daffodils in her woods!
What do I like- I love love, love, tulips, so do deer. They are clearly the croissant of the deer world. If you decide to plant tulips, be sure to do so in an area where deer are fenced off, or plan on covering them with a fine netting. We have many trees in our yard that are young and fenced off from the deer. Beneath those trees are a perfect place to plant the bulbs deer like to eat, you will be protecting the tree and the bulbs all at once.
When you plant your bulbs- as a rule of thumb, the hole should be 2 times as deep as the height of the bulb. As always when planting anything, I always make sure the soil around the plant is a good quality soil, even if you need to amend it with added soils (see "how to plant a tree" blog). With bulbs, since they are so small it doesn’t take too much work to make the space you plant them in perfect so they can thrive. Be sure you plant with the pointy end of the bulb up!
When your bulbs have finished blooming, wait to cut back the leaves until they are yellow and wilting. The leaves are providing food to next year’s bulbs and blooms. You can always plant annuals around your bulbs while the bulbs finish their growth cycle.
You are not only getting joy out of your early flowers, you are providing much needed food for pollinators that will help you with your garden for the rest of the summer. The bees and butterflies will thank you!
-Janet
