This week has brought us an Indian summer with warm temperatures and sunshine. It is a great time to get out into the garden and work in your yard. While you are finishing fall clean-up chores, we encourage you to take a few minutes to plant fall bulbs. The minimal effort they require will pay off in the spring with colorful and cheerful blooms that look stunning, especially after Ohio’s grey and dreary winters. Here are our Tips on Planting Fall Bulbs.
In our world of “instant everything,” it is hard to understand that the life cycle of tulip, daffodil, and other spring blooming bulbs cannot be rushed. The bulbs we all know and recognize are tulips and daffodils, however, there are many other choices which provide unique color and interest. We know it is a little work now, but they are a welcome sight in early spring are a great addition to spring flowering shrubs.
Planting Tips:
- It is best to plant your bulbs in late fall. Pick them out soon so you have a wide selection and you ready to take advantage of warmer days in late October and early November to get them planted. Bulbs require 10 – 12 weeks of cold temperatures for the roots to grow and buds to develop.
- When planting, use Espoma Bulb Tone to fertilize them for stronger stems and bigger flowers.
- If you are prone to have deer browsing your yard, it is best to plant daffodils rather than tulips.
- If you are dreading a sea of yellow flowers, we offer a beautiful blend of yellow, white and orange daffodils. You can also choose white Daffodils, named Ice Follies, or dwarf daffodils, named Tete’tete, to make a beautiful border when planted along the edge of a bed.
- For critters other than deer, spray your bulbs with repellant such as Repel’s All before planting them to keep squirrels and other animals away from them.
- Fertilize bulbs with Bulb-Tone or Bone Meal, all natural fertilizers that we offer. When you apply them at the time of planting, they encourage a vigorous root system in the bulbs which result in stronger stems and larger flowers.
Bulb Design Tips:
- Your bulbs will look more important when they are planted together in groups or in mass much like you would plant annuals.
- Consider early and late bloom times for various varieties so you can extend the season. Plant winter pansies with tulips and allium in a border near your front door or walkway. They are always such a delight to see in March and April.
- Double peony flowering tulips because they last a long time. They open wide like a peony during the day & then close at night, reopening the next day. Their large flowers are stunning.
- Alliums provide drama and grace to perennial gardens. The flowers are big balls of lavender blooms on study and graceful stems. They have an added benefit of being deer resistant. They naturalize and multiply easily so the first year you will have a few and the next year you’ll have even more.
- Daffodils – Although more common, they are great for naturalizing which means they can be scattered in an open area & will come back year after year. Not all daffodils are yellow. Why not consider a mixture or white ones. Most importantly they are deer resistant & generally critter resistant because they have a very bitter taste to animals.
- Hyacinths – add wonderful fragrance & unlike when you have a pot indoors they are very long lasting. Plant them near an entrance & their fragrance will greet you every time. They are available in beautiful blue flowers as well as other pastel colors.
- Tulips – always a favorite with their bold beautiful blooms. Consider trying a double peony flowering type of tulip viktig länk. I have found them to be longer lasting & they add nice texture to the garden with many petals that open & close with changing temperatures.
- Snow Drops – One of the first bulbs to bloom after the winter & like their name they often peek through the melting snow. Their delicate drop like blooms are a welcome sight in the spring. Plant these small flowers in close view because they are too small to be seen from afar.
Check out our video for Tips on Planting Fall Bulbs!
