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Fall Planting for Spring Gardens
by Carrie Paulk
Ask someone what their favorite time of year is, and you'll most likely
hear them wax eloquently about Spring, with it's colorful spring gardens
heralding the end of Winter. Ahh, if only your garden gave you that
feeling when Spring rolls around. But alas, you do not even know where
to begin in your landscape.
Fear not, achieving that gorgeous spring garden is not as hard as it
seems; all you have to do is get your plans in gear and tackle them one
by one. This way, you won't be caught by surprise when Spring rolls
around. One of those plans that you can do now is bulb planting. Many of
the flowers that you connect with springtime are actually bulb flowers,
planted back in fall. Planting these bulbs now will help you to achieve
that colorful spring array of flowers that you so want.
The first place to start when you're planning a spring bulb garden is
your local garden center or other establishment that has
spring-flowering bulbs for sale. To get the best quality bulb, try to
stay away from the packaged bulbs in netting, and go to a place where
you can pick out the bulbs individually. This way, you can check the
bulb's quality. The old saying, "The bigger, the better," applies when
you're looking for a good bulb. You also want to check for any soft or
squishy spots, and look for any sort of pests or disease. A good quality
bulb should feel solid and slightly heavy.
So exactly when in Autumn should you plant flower bulbs? Some bulbous
flowers, like crocus (Crocus spp.), baby gladiolus (Gladiolus colvillei.),
and ornamental allium (Allium spp.), can be planted at any time during
the Autumn season. Other flowers are more finicky with their planting
times. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.) should be planted as early as you can
get them. Tulip bulbs (Tulipa spp.) should be planted in mid to late
October in this region. Hyacinth flowers (Hyacinthus spp.) do their best
when planted from October to December. Spring-flowering lilies (Lilium
spp.) should be planted as soon as you receive them. As for Iris species
(Iris spp.), they depend on whether they are a bulbous iris or a
rhizomatous iris. Bulbous irises should be planted between October and
November, and rhizomatous irises can be planted from July to October.
Even though all these flowers can be planted in Fall, many are specific
about exactly when they should be planted.
Planting depth of bulbous flowers are specific as well. Generally, the
larger the bulb, the deeper it should be planted. However, there are
exceptions to every rule, so the following is a list of common bulbs and
the depth that they should be planted:
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Daffodils: 5-6" (large), 3-4" (small); planted 8" apart
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Tulips: plant three times as wide as the bulb width, 4-8" apart
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Bulbous Irises: 4" deep, 3-4" apart
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Rhizomatous Irises: just below the soil surface, 1-2' apart
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Baby Gladiolus: 3-5" deep, 4-6" apart
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Crocus: 2-3" deep, 3-4" apart
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Lily: 2-3" (small), 3-4" (medium), 4-6" (large), 4-8" apart
Bulbous flowers are more finicky than most when it comes to how and when
they should be planted, but that shouldn't deter you from having a
garden filled with their noticeable presence come springtime. Once you
educate yourself and formulate a plan for your garden, you will be well
on your way to having that springtime burst of color and shapes to
welcome you back from the bleak winter.
About the author
Carrie Paulk is the author of "Fall Planting For Spring Gardens," which
is part of the Tip of the Week program with Turf Tamer, Inc. She has
written many informative landscaping articles. To learn more about
landscaping tips and tricks, you can find the rest of her articles at
http://www.turftamerinc.com/tip.shtm.
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