How To Plant Bulbs for Spring Flowers

It's Fall. Do You Know Where Your Bulbs Are?

Bulbs are a gift from the gods of winter. Knowing how lonely you will be for the sight of a brightly colored flower, the winter soil incubates the sleeping bulb through the coldest days and just when you think you can't stand another winter chill, a yellow daffodil or purple crocus will lift your darkest spirits and ready you for spring.

But until the thrill of spring, you have some work to do. Bulbs are easy and hardy flowers to grow so your tasks are few but important.

• Plant or store...but keep your bulbs between 50 and 60 degrees. If you aren't planting right away store in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator or in the garage or cellar. Protect from the rodents who will gladly make a meal of your bulbs.

• Don't delay. Bulbs should be planted about 6 weeks before the ground freezes, which is great because you would be hard pressed to dig a hole much afterward.

• Pick a spot in your garden that gets good but indirect light. Cold loving bulbs will die of heat stroke in direct sun.

• As bulbs are prone to rot in soggy conditions, add a little sandy to the soil and give them some protection if you live in a rainy climate.

• How deep you plant depends on the type of bulb. Four to twelve inches is the general range so check the package rather than guess wrong.

• Whoever thought of the bulb auger was surely a genius. They make the perfect hole and hold the dirt patiently until you are ready to refill your hole. Get one with a long handle for the garden and one with a short handle for the window boxes.

• Again, depending on the type of bulb, make your blub holes one to six inches apart. Don't guess or you will be pulling out bulbs all spring.

• Now most bulbs have distinct top and bottom sides. However, in the case of tubers, its another story.  Should you be totally stumped by the top-bottom dilemma, just plant sideways. The bulb is forgetting and God only know how but it will find its way to the top of the soil by spring.

• Drop a couple of bulbs in each hole; they like friends to winter with.

• Fill the hole back up with the dirt your auger held neatly for you while you worked.

• Cover with mulch, bark and/or dry leaves to protect from winter conditions and to keep the soil moist. It's a good idea to really camouflage your bulbs if squirrels roam your garden. They are sure you have planted this tasty treat just for them and will dig them up should they find them.

• Water well and you're done except for an occasional check of the soil as you never want it to completely dry out.

• The debate rages on whether to add manure or other fertilizer to the hole before adding the bulbs. I personally feel the bulb don't appreciates a hardy meal before a long sleep anymore than I do.  However, for last year’s bulbs, it's a good idea to refeed the soil at this time.

• Keep checking the window, spring will come again. As soon as the first shoots appear and the ground unfreezes you can add a slow release bulb food and be oh so glad you planted your bulbs last fall.