Gardening - Time to think spring bulbs

What better way to announce spring than to plant colorful spring bulbs that will pop up in your gardens following those dreary months. If you are looking for early spring color on your property, the time to plant is now. With proper bulb selection and care your single fall planting will give you years of bloom.

Let’s take a look at what a bulb is. Unlike the roots of our annuals, and perennials, bulbs are a ball-like fleshy underground organ that plants use to store energy over the winter. This provides their fuel for early spring growth. The most common bulbs are tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

Longer rhizome bulbs are iris and lily of the valley. Because they are the earliest plants to bloom you can be assured color on your property generally from March to June, while your perennials and shrubs are beginning to leaf out.

You can select bulbs with different bloom times to achieve a full spring season of color.

Beginning in March you can count on snowdrops and crocus, then transition into daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, iris and alliums. Check your bulb packages for more information on specific bloom times. Many tulips have different bloom times as do iris and alliums. New breeding offers homeowners a wide spectrum of color and sizes. Daffodils are not only yellow but orange, coral, pink and white. Tulips range from the traditional red to shades of pink, lilac, multicolor and an interesting black velvet just to mention a few.

When deciding where to plant think mass planting. I like to keep the bulbs at the forefront of my gardens and rely upon the slowly emerging shrubs and perennials as the backdrop. I also like to plant between shrubs and near ground covers, daylilies and hostas. Look at height when you plant. Keep the taller in the background and move to the outside of your bedding area with gradually decreasing heights of bulbs.

As with any plant, soil and site preparation is important if you want a return performance of your spring bulbs. The first year planting rate of success is usually a guarantee. All the flower needs is stored in that little bulb. But you need to pay more attention to your site if you want that beautiful plant to return next year.

In general bulbs need well drained soil. They need at least five or six hours of full sun, though they do even better with eight to 10 hours. Try to stay away from planting under trees. The competition for nutrients is too great and tree shade a limiting factor. Some daffodils will survive as they usually bloom before leaf out. Also know your wildlife population. I learned my lesson early in the game neglecting this little factor. Having invested resources on mass plantings of various bloom tulips one year, I found that I only supplied the local deer with a feast. Needless to say, the deer partied on this site each evening and left me with one or two sorry tulip blooms.

Where deer are a problem you could invest the time in the various natural herb and wiring configurations. I just accept the environment I have and select bulbs deer do not like. I generally go with various daffodil, hyacinths alliums and iris. Some folks place chicken wire over the bedding areas after planting to avoid having the bulbs dug up by squirrel and chipmunks. More information regarding wildlife deterrent techniques is available on the Internet.

Soil preparation also is very important. Make sure you are planting in loosened soil 8-12 inches deep. Work in your compost. I use either composted cow or chicken manure. These are a must for clay-based soil to improve drainage. And finally blend in your low nitrogen fertilizer, a 5-10-5 or 5-10-10. I have had great success with the Epsoma bulb tone product.

The garden centers and retail stores are loaded with spring bulbs this time of year. Be sure to choose wisely - the larger the bulb, the greater chance for successful bloom. Avoid purchasing bulbs that are soft, have signs of mold or outward damage. Don’t worry if the onion-like skin is torn. This is not considered a problem. Make sure to keep the bulbs in a cool dry place until you plant them.

Now through October, dependent upon our weather patterns, is a great time for planting bulbs.

Before diving in, make sure you read the bulb box so you are planting the bulb at the proper depth and spacing. If you think of the bulb as an onion, you always place the top pointed part upward. To save time in planting, I like to dig mass areas of the proper depth and design my flower show from there. It sure beats single hole digging or drilling. Once your bulbs are planted, don’t walk away until they are thoroughly watered in. An additional layer of mulch will give you extra winter protection.

Fall is a great time to invest in spring color. You will be so pleased to see those shapes and colors burst after your garden’s long winter’s nap. Consider a little time now to give your spirits a quick lift and welcome in the new growing season next year.

Sue Ann DuBois is a Master Gardener and partner to the husband-wife team of Chips Landscaping. She designs, constructs, and maintains outdoor landscape and water garden features in Saratoga County. For more information, visit: www.chipslandscaping.net.