IT'S TIME TO PLANT SPRING FLOWERING
BLUBS
A glorious bed of spring bulbs brightens
the garden like little else can; well worth the time and energy you put into it
now.
Leading the pack are the
showstoppers, *tulips and daffodils, followed by a long list of spectacular
flowers: crocus, snowdrops, muscari and allium to name a few. By planting
clusters of different blubs around your garden you will enjoy flowers for many
weeks.
Daffodils and tulips have hybrids
that bloom at slightly different times: early, mid or late spring. The time is listed
on the package or in the catalog. You can easily prolong the blooming period by
planting some of all three. For nice
punches of color avoid blending all three together. For example, I plant
separate clusters, 13 early bloomers, then a splash of 19 late and a bed of 17 mid-blooming bulbs.
As the first bed fades away, eyes are drawn to the mid and then the late
blooming bulbs. Another "technique
used by the Japanese", is to plant odd numbers of bulbs. It flows more naturally on the eye.
Landscapers do this with everything from flowers to shrubs.
Tulips and daffodils are planted 6 to
8 inches deep. As you are filling the
holes consider planting smaller flowers such as crocus over them around 2 or 3 inches,
thereby including an earlier spring display in the same place with the same
amount of work.
As with all flowers planting
correctly will extend your display for years. Add a handful of chopped leaves
at the bottom of the hole and sprinkle in some bone meal for a strong root system.
Should you water after planting
blubs? YES. Watering your blubs encourages
them establish roots before the ground freezes. This will give your plants a
strong head start when the ground warms up in early spring.
If you love to herald the end of winter, plant snowdrops by your front door. A small simple white flower, snowdrops are the first to bloom in the spring. They even go dormant if it snows and then bounce back as good as new. The snowdrop blubs I planted twenty years ago still bloom strong every March. I love that.
If you love to herald the end of winter, plant snowdrops by your front door. A small simple white flower, snowdrops are the first to bloom in the spring. They even go dormant if it snows and then bounce back as good as new. The snowdrop blubs I planted twenty years ago still bloom strong every March. I love that.
Keep them behind fencing and away from deer if possible. Squirrels, groundhogs and rabbits also line up at your 'tulip salad bar'. None of the animals listed above snack on daffodils or the later blooming allium.
James
Love it!
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