Fall Bulbs: Dig It

Ok, I said I was going to talk about planting bulbs. Admittedly, I said this last year. But, hey, the month is right--albeit a year later! :-)

Anyway, I did plant those bulbs last year and I now have a box more to plant this year. Why does it seem like a good idea to get all these bulbs when you get the catalogue (and get seduced by the alluring photos), and then, when you actually get the 50 plus bulbs you ordered, you wonder what in the world you were thinking? Anyway, that's how it is for me. Still, you can't beat the feeling when you see emerging leaves and flowers in early spring in New England, just at the point you've reached your "cabin fever" limit after a long winter. That's what I think about as I dig my bazillioneth hole in the ground while planting bulbs. Does that help? :-)

Here's some "how to" thoughts that work for me when taking on this Fall gardening endeavor:

1. Have a placement plan--or don't. It's hard to go wrong with bulbs. I mean, who's going to complain about less than ideal garden aesthetics when something, anything, pops up out of the snow that looks like a plant come winter's end? Nonetheless, I think it's nice to have colonies of bulbs in "drifts" or in places where they can "naturalize" (multiply over time, forming pleasing expanses, big or small, of the same bulb; this works well for crocuses or some daffodils, for example, scattered around what might later be your lawn; after the flowers are spent, don't mow the leaves until they start to yellow, or better yet disintegrate, because the leaves bring food back to the bulb for next year).

2. Choose bulbs that little critters, like squirrels (which I love but they can prove to be worthy opponents in various aspects of gardening), don't like to eat. Again, crocuses have worked well for me and squirrels don't touch my grape hyacinths or snow drops either. Also, if you want, there is stuff you can soak or spray your bulbs with as deterents. If you go that route, please consider non-toxic choices to keep the environment, and associated wildlife, in good order. Now that there are so many "green" gardening options, why not choose those? It also keeps things safe for humans, including kids. There are also little cages you can buy for your bulbs that thwart critters' advances, if you are so inclined. Personally, I go the lazy route and just get bulbs they don't like. Come Fall, my gardening energies don't tend to be at their peak, especially since there's the rest of the garden to clean up, etc.

3. Maximize one hole. Hey, if I'm going to dig a hole, I'm not just putting one bulb in there. So, I just make the hole a bit wider and make a nice bed for the little bulbs, scratch in some bulb food, lay the bulbs down, giving them some space between each other, and back fill the hole. Done!

Oh yeah. Don't scrimp when you buy your bulbs. As with other plants (unless you're performing a rescue), spring a few extra dollars and get some good, healthy bulbs. Really. You'll be glad you did!

Hope you enjoy/are inspired by these photos. They're some spring blooms from last year's bulb planting which I never wrote about--until now! Grape hyacinths (muscari) amidst barren strawberry ground cover (waldsteinia), crocuses "naturalizing" in the soon-to-be-lawn and mini irises (iris cristata) emerging from the otherwise stark landscape.