Plant Spring Bulbs NOW

Garden & Gracie

"Here's to Dogs and Digging"

The finished product.  All of the beauty is underground!

Yesterday was a perfect fall day in Maryland for planting spring bulbs. Many people think of spring as the time to plant flowers - and that's true for some perennials, almost all annuals, and fruit and vegetable seeds. 

But fall is actually the best time to plant trees and shrubs and most perennials (plus, most garden stores have them heavily discounted to make way for pumpkins, mums and, soon, Christmas trees and greenery.) It's also the ONLY time to plant bulbs that emerge in spring in the zone I live in - zone 7.

These are a few of the bulbs you'd plant this time of year:

• crocus
• hyacinth
• daffodil (or as my grandmother called them, jonquil)
• tulip
• iris
• lily

You can get bulbs at most home improvement or gardening stores. I've always had luck ordering mine through Breck's and Spring Hill Nursery. The 35 bulbs arrived last week and instructions said they must be planted ASAP...yikes! And so even though my shoulders, back, and neck were achy, I schlepped myself outside, grabbed the shovel and started digging.

Look what I found:

Earthworm!!! I LOVE earthworms and if you see these in your soil, then you've got black gold.

 Here's the trough for the Dutch Iris bulbs. Directions called for a depth of 4 inches and a spacing of 3 inches. Rule of green thumb: Depth is important because not only does it give the bulb the necessary amount of soil insulation during winter, but it also ensures that when the plant grows, it stays upright and doesn't droop. We don't want droopy flowers. However, from experience, I don't find the spacing that important; in fact, I prefer the clustered, meadow or cottage look. So, I often will plant them closer together than the instructions recommend.

Plant deep enough. Fill soil back in so there are no air pockets and then provide ample water.

Water is key! Unless Mother Nature is helping you out daily, it's a good idea to water your newly planted bulbs for several days in a row and periodically after that. Compost is always helpful.

In the spring, I'll have these:

This is a photo taken from the Breck catalog. 

Here are some links to help you. I'd love to see your photos so please leave a comment. Listen, even if you think you will kill anything live...give yourself a chance! I promise, if the plant doesn't make it, it will forgive you and you are only out a bit of money.  Gardening is a great type of exercise and breathing in the fresh air is good for your lungs and soul.

I'm giving you a green thumbs up!

I tried to smile and wave, but it looked like I was drunk. This will have to do.

Please LIKE and SHARE with me on FB:

https://www.facebook.com/monicawritesblogspot?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

www.brecks.com (major deals on bulbs)

www.springhillnursery.com (major deals on plants plus an online zone finder)