FALL in Love With Bulbs
October is my favorite month. The air is crisp. The color of the leaves starts to change. You can finally store away your summer clothes and fill your dresser drawers with cozy sweaters. For gardeners, autumn is the time to prep for the colder months ahead.
October is also the perfect month to start planting bulbs. If you want an abundance of spring flowers in your yard or patio garden, look no further. Below are some helpful tips for planting bulbs.
The Layout
Before planting, you’ll need to plan. It’s important to decide which bulbs to plant and where to plant them. Typically, spring flowers like daffodils and crocuses are early spring bloomers. You can expect tulips to pop up during May followed by irises. And lilies, which always remind us of Easter, are late bloomers.
Roots
Bulbs may look intimidating to plants. The trick is to know how to plant them. Most bulbs will have roots which are located at the bottom end of the bulb. When in doubt, the pointy end of the bulb faces upward. The depth of the hole to dig is specific to the flower you are planting. Follow packaged instructions. Avoid digging too deep. You want the bulbs to be nestled in the ground where it is protected from frost, but not too deep where they will struggle to reach the surface to flower.
Patience
After planting, there is nothing left to do but water. You may leave a marker of some kind to indicate where you planted your bulbs.
Keep in mind that squirrels do like to eat bulbs, so be prepared to lose a few. A beloved neighbor of mine would place mothballs in her garden to keep the squirrels away. I don’t recommend this. The odor is extremely potent and unpleasant. Your neighbors will despise you and the squirrels will seek their revenge.
Finally, as your garden slumbers during winter, take comfort in knowing that you’re bulbs are eagerly waiting to bloom.
What are your favorite spring flowers? Comment down below.
Happy Gardening!
