Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Stop Bulb Envy


Photograph by Paul Gellatly

The season is winding down very quickly, the garden is getting ready for the long cold winter. The autumn colours are fading to twigs and fallen leaves.  If you're anything like me, at this time of year, you're ready for a break from the garden, at the same time excited about your garden next year.

Photograph by Paul Gellatly
Photo by Paul Gellatly
Its not too late to start thinking about Spring.  Nothing is better than bulbs poking through the snow in the spring, and ushering in a new season.  Now is the time you need to plan for that.   This is the perfect time!

Photo by Paul Gellatly
Photograph by Paul Gellatly
I always wait until the end of November to put in my bulbs.  The squirrels have pretty much finished their gathering for the winter, and less of your bulbs will go missing.  Nothing is more frustrating than watching squirrels dig up your spring bulbs.  There are a few things you can do, other than waiting until late November.  Squirrels don't like Narcissus, or Allium bulbs.  If you mix some of these in with your other bulbs, there is less chance of them getting taken by the daytime bandits.  Another way is to place chicken wire over where you have planted. The Squirrels can't dig through the chicken wire, and get to your bulbs.

If you're anything like me, you will want to add new bulbs next year as well.  One problem I have had is that come the fall, I don't remember exactly where I have bulbs, as they are dormant... I end up digging up bulbs, or worse yet, digging into bulbs.  One trick to remedy this, is to plant muscari (grape hyacinth) with your bulbs.  Grape hyacinths send up foliage in the fall... that way you will know where your other bulbs are planted.


Photo by Paul Gellatly
Photo by Paul Gellatly
One trick that I learned this year, from a friend Uli Havermann; is to place a piece of flagstone over where you have planted the bulbs.  The squirrels can't dig under a piece of flagstone, but you have to remember to remove it first thing in the spring to allow the bulbs to grow.


Photograph by Paul Gellatly
When planting bulbs there are a lot of things to consider.  Consider bloom time, colour combinations, are they being used to naturalize or are they a focal point in your spring garden. Although bulbs look beautiful when they are in bloom, you also need to consider the time it takes for the foliage to die back into the bulb and how that will affect your late spring garden.

Many people dig their bulbs up after they have bloomed and let them die back in a shed or garage.  I prefer to leave my bulbs in the ground, so I have them planted where other plants grow up around them and hide the foliage as it dies back.  A lot of my smaller bulbs are planted around my hemerocallis (daylilies) once the spring bulbs fade, the daylily foliage is already growing up and filling in.  When using bulbs to naturalize an area, you would want to leave the bulbs in the ground.

Photo by Paul Gellatly
Bulbs begin blooming in early, mid, and late spring, make sure to check the packages to find out when your new bulbs will be blooming, and be mindful to plant bulbs to extend your spring garden bloom.

Photo by Paul Gellatly
A Rule of Thumb for planting:  If the bulb is larger (Tulip, Daffodil, Hyacinth), the hole should be about 6-8" deep from the bottom of the bulb; if the bulb is small (Snowdrop, Crocus, Scilla, Grape Hyacinth, Dwarf Iris), dig the hole about 4-5" deep.

Make sure you don't end up looking at your neighbour's gardens with Spring Bulb Envy...  Plant some bulbs now and watch your garden come to life in the spring.  
Photograph by Paul Gellatly