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Ask someone what their favorite time of year is, and you'll
most likely hear them wax eloquently about Spring, with
it's colorful spring gardens heralding the end of Winter.
Ahh, if only your garden gave you that feeling when Spring
rolls around. But alas, you do not even know where to begin
in your landscape.
Fear not, achieving that gorgeous spring garden is not as
hard as it seems; all you have to do is get your plans in
gear and tackle them one by one. This way, you won't be
caught by surprise when Spring rolls around. One of those
plans that you can do now is bulb planting. Many of the
flowers that you connect with springtime are actually bulb
flowers, planted back in fall. Planting these bulbs now will
help you to achieve that colorful spring array of flowers
that you so want.
The first place to start when you're planning a spring bulb
garden is your local garden center or other establishment
that has spring-flowering bulbs for sale. To get the best
quality bulb, try to stay away from the packaged bulbs in
netting, and go to a place where you can pick out the bulbs
individually. This way, you can check the bulb's quality.
The old saying, "The bigger, the better," applies when
you're looking for a good bulb. You also want to check for
any soft or squishy spots, and look for any sort of pests or
disease. A good quality bulb should feel solid and slightly
heavy.
So exactly when in Autumn should you plant flower bulbs?
Some bulbous flowers, like crocus (Crocus spp.), baby
gladiolus (Gladiolus colvillei.), and ornamental allium
(Allium spp.), can be planted at any time during the Autumn
season. Other flowers are more finicky with their planting
times. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.) should be planted as early
as you can get them. Tulip bulbs (Tulipa spp.) should be
planted in mid to late October in this region. Hyacinth
flowers (Hyacinthus spp.) do their best when planted from
October to December. Spring-flowering lilies (Lilium spp.)
should be planted as soon as you receive them. As for Iris
species (Iris spp.), they depend on whether they are a
bulbous iris or a rhizomatous iris. Bulbous irises should be
planted between October and November, and rhizomatous irises
can be planted from July to October. Even though all these
flowers can be planted in Fall, many are specific about
exactly when they should be planted.
Planting depth of bulbous flowers are specific as well.
Generally, the larger the bulb, the deeper it should be
planted. However, there are exceptions to every rule, so the
following is a list of common bulbs and the depth that they
should be planted:
Bulbous flowers are more finicky than most when it comes to how and
when they should be planted, but that shouldn't deter you
from having a garden filled with their noticeable presence
come springtime. Once you educate yourself and formulate a
plan for your garden, you will be well on your way to having
that springtime burst of color and shapes to welcome you
back from the bleak winter.
About The Author:
Carrie Paulk is the author of "Fall Planting For Spring Gardens"
which is part of the Tip of the Week program with Turf Tamer, Inc. She
has written many informative landscaping articles. To learn more
about landscaping tips and tricks, you can find the rest of her articles
at http://www.turftamerinc.com/tip.shtm. She can be reached at
carrie@turftamerinc.com.
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