By Betty Sharpless
These days, it seems like every season comes earlier and earlier. Halloween costumes are in stores in August, and Christmas décor shows up in September. However, there’s still plenty of time to plant spring bulbs for next year’s delight. I have actually planted daffodils and tulips as late as January with excellent results. The important thing is to make sure that the bulbs are still firm when you are ready to put them in the ground.
By now, many stores will have bulbs marked down for quick sale. It is perfectly acceptable to “squeeze the merchandise” to make sure you are still getting your money’s worth. If most of the bulbs in the bag are firm, go ahead and buy them. If not, feel free to haggle a little.
If you have tried to plant spring bulbs only to have them eaten by voles, deer, squirrels, and chipmunks, you need to avoid these tasty bulbs. Most critters won’t eat daffodils, narcissus, woodland and grape hyacinths, or flowering garlic (alliums). I finally had to make a strategy to co-exist with my yard wildlife. I plant twice as many crocus as I hope to have–crocus are inexpensive. If I do plant tulips, I plant them in the same shades every year. For example, all shades of purple, or all shades of yellow and orange. If I plant similar shades every year, on the rare years when I have a great bloom, they all color coordinate. I also plant a lot of daffodils and narcissus, making sure to have an even mix of early, mid, and late spring blooming varieties. All of this information will be on the packaging.
The depth that the bulb should be planted is three times the size of the bulb. A crocus only needs to rest three inches deep. A firecracker allium will need to be planted nine inches deep to support their three-foot tall flowers. I often suggest using the “Biltmore House” method to new gardeners–plant a lot of the exact same flowers for a really dramatic effect. Each year, you can plant a lot of different flowers to add to the drama.
Then, it is just a matter of waiting for spring to spring up from the ground! I always envision the final effect when planting a bulb. I love planting surprises that will make people smile year after year.
Betty Sharpless is a professional free-lance gardener, writer, and quilter who loves firecracker alliums–magic wands in the making! Follow her on Instagram @sharplessbetty