When you think of “flower bulbs” what comes to mind? If you’re like most people, you immediate picture fields of tulips and daffodils, or maybe groupings of hyacinth. While this idea of bulbs is definitely a correct one, it is also somewhat limited. Did you realize that there are actually two planting seasons for bulbs? These planting seasons are classified as “fall planted” and “spring planted” bulbs.

Fall bulbs are extremely popular and add great color to the spring garden!

Fall planted bulbs, as I mentioned earlier, are definitely the more well-known bulbs in the group. These include your allium, crocus, daffodils, fritillaria, hyacinth, iris, muscari (grape hyacinth), scilla, and of course, the tulips. These bulbs are typically planted sometime between mid-September and mid-December, depending on  your hardiness zone and then bloom the following spring. Many of these bulbs actually require a chilling period (the winter season) in order to bloom and grow correctly. Therefore, gardeners who live in Zones 2 through 7b/8 can grow these without any special care and leave the bulbs in the ground year round. On the other hand, gardeners who live in warmer climates (Zones 8 through 11) and don’t receive this chilling period naturally outdoors, need to provide these bulbs with the cool period artificially, such as in a refrigerator prior to planting every year.

Dahlias are just one of the many amazing spring planted bulbs that can add great color to your late summer and early fall garden.

Spring planted bulbs are somewhat less well-known in the “bulb world” but are just as valuable to the landscape! These bulbs include anemone, begonias, calla lilies, canna lilies, dahlias, elephant ears, gladiolus, oriental and asiatic lilies, and herbaceous perennials. These bulbs are best planted between early March and late May, again depending on the hardiness zone in which you are located and then bloom in the summer and/or fall. Many of these bulbs (with the exception of oriental/asiatic lilies as well as herbaceous perennials) are not frost hardy and therefore need protection or special care during the winter in Zones 2 through 7b/8. However, the gardeners in Zones 8 through 11 can leave most of these bulbs in the ground year-round without the worry of frost damage.

Since the spring planted bulbs are often overlooked but yet have oh-so-much to offer, I figured it might be good to review them. Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to lead you through the land of the spring planted bulbs. Each article will focus on a different type of spring planted (summer/fall blooming) bulbs, highlighting their great qualities as well as pointing out any maintenance tips that may be important. So follow me on this wonderful journey and open your eyes to this wonderful world of spring planted bulbs!

Until next time,

Have a question about when to plant a certain type of bulb or any other bulb gardening topic? Ask Bridget! Email her at bridget@bulbblog.com! If she features your question in a future post, you’ll receive a Holland Bulb Farms coupon for your next order at Holland Bulb Farms!

So the weather is starting to get warmer and we are all ready for the summer months that are in the not-too-distant future, right? And I realize that fall may be the last thing you want to think about. However, in order to have a beautiful spring garden of tulips, daffodils, crocus, allium, and hyacinth, you need to start thinking about what you’re going to plant in fall NOW! After all, once the time to plant these bulbs come around, the blooms will be long gone and furthest from your mind. So why not select your bulbs for fall now!

A mixture of textures (such as daffodils and tulips) can make for professional looking floral arrangements.

The majority of gardeners plan their garden around one sole purpose: they want to have a yard that’s in bloom for a long time that looks great year round. While this is a very logical goal, you can get more out of your garden if you consider another factor when planning for the colors and types of flowers your garden will include: cutflowers! Who wouldn’t love to have a vase (or maybe two or three) of fresh cutflowers in their house at all times? Now think about how even more lovely it would be if they were flowers which you had grown yourself in your own yard!

If you’re somewhat of an experienced gardener, you probably already plan your garden so that the bloom time is spread out over as long of a period of time as possible, correct? But what about taking into consideration plants and flowers that can be used for cutting over a long period of time? By paying special attention to colors and textures that will look good in a vase together that are also in bloom at the same time, you can also lengthen the period of time you can enjoy these fresh cut flowers in your home!

Two tips when cutting flowers out of the garden: First, be sure to take flowers from various places within your yard…you should not even be able to notice any

Why not plan your garden for gorgerous bouquets?

are missing once you’re done And secondly, always try to cut back to another node or bud (the place where the next leaf comes out of the stem) or to the ground.  By doing so, you will help to disguise the stems which have been cut and still give your garden a “natural” look.

So go out today and bring a piece of your garden indoors!

Until next time,

Have a question about which bulbs work best for cutflowers or any other gardening topic? Ask Bridget! Email her at bridget@bulbblog.com! If she features your question in a future post, you’ll receive a Holland Bulb Farms coupon for your next order with Holland Bulb Farms!

]]> http://www.bulbblog.com/cutflowers-from-bulbs/feed/ 0 http://www.bulbblog.com/photographing-with-flowers/ http://www.bulbblog.com/photographing-with-flowers/#comments Sun, 17 May 2009 20:19:40 +0000 Bridget http://www.bulbblog.com/?p=578 HEY! That’s MY yard!

Our breezeway entrance, beginning to show life this spring!

My husband and I are relatively new in our neighborhood and have not yet had a chance to get acquainted with our neighbors. When we first moved into our house at the end of last fall, the landscape was quite stark, like a blank canvas just waiting for the artist’s touch. In the small amount of time I had before the snow fell,  I planted over 150 daffodil and tulip bulbs in the front yard. So you can imagine how thrilled I was this spring when the foliage began peeking out of the soil and continued to produce beautiful blooms. Did I mention that I also realized not one other house on our street had a yard as beautiful as ours???

Ever since the first sign of growth, my husband and I have been “charting” the plants’ progress. In fact, one day he said to me, “Bridget, I swear that I can actually see those tulips growing taller–they seem to be growing so fast!” It made me happy to have my husband as excited as I was at the success of the spring blooming bulbs I had planted.

The beginning of spring in the front of our house!

For a few weeks now, we’ve enjoyed the tulip and daffodil blooms and have made notes of which ones bloomed first, second, third, and so on. It is always interesting to me to observe how a garden can “evolve” over the course of a month or two while one plant finishes flowering and the next one takes over. And as it turns out, I wasn’t the only one admiring my spring blooms…

The tulips and daffodils brightening the walkway to our breezeway entrance.

This past weekend, I was dusting our living room (one of the worst house chores there is) and I happened to glance out our front bay window. I did a double take as I realized a young teenage couple, dressed to the nines standing in front of my flowerbed! As I took in the situation, I also noticed a corsage and boutineer, complete with a proud mother snapping photographs of the “prom-ready” couple! At first I couldn’t help but think, “The nerve! This is MY yard and these are MY flowers!” But just as I was about to run out into my front yard waving a baseball bat, I suddenly felt flattered. These neighbors of mine, whom I had never met before, had thought enough of MY flowers to want them in their picture! What better compliment could a gardener receive?!

The front flowerbed near to full bloom...and also the backdrop to a couple's pre-prom photograph

Now I’m not certain that I would ever have the guts to pose for a picture five feet in front of a house owned by someone I had never met, but the experience definitely made me feel good. After all, do we not plant flowers to beautify our surroundings? I like to think that my little piece of the earth makes it a nicer place to live. And for this young prom couple, it made a beautiful picture which will be viewed in photo albums long after the flowers fade.

Until next time,

Have a question about which bulbs are the most photogenic or any other gardening topic? Ask Bridget! Email her at bridget@bulbblog.com! If she features your question in a future post, you’ll receive a Holland Bulb Farms coupon for your next order with Holland Bulb Farms!

“My daffodils are starting to come up…the problem is that it is starting to snow a bit. Should I cover up the green that has started to sprout? I don’t want them to die!”

~Tammy from Cincinnati, Ohio

Does this sound familiar? At the middle to end of winter, we all hope for those warmer days with bright sunshine. But what about when those days come in the middle of January or February before the spring is really here? Oftentimes, these “touches of spring” can cause premature sprouting of bulbs. The growth starts showing itself above the ground, giving us hope of warmer days to come, only to be smothered with snowflakes a week later. So what is the best plan of action in a situation like this?

Well, my first piece of advice is simple: do not worry too much. If your bulbs are starting to come up early, they are simply reacting to the weather around them, which is out of your control. Think about it this way: if these bulbs where growing in the wild (as they originally did), they would experience this same thing from time to time and would still flourish without the intervention of any human. A little bit of foliage growth during freezing temperatures is not a big deal for these bulbs and should not affect their flowering in the months to come. If this happens in the wintertime, chances are that more cold weather is on its way. In this environment, the foliage will yellow and die back, returning the bulb to its “dormancy” period. This is completely normal and should just be allowed to happen.

Now if the weather continues to stay unseasonably warm, there is a slight chance that the bulbs may begin to produce flower buds. If this happens, your intervention may be necessary in order to protect these buds. Simply find some dry leaves, straw, or even sawdust to cover the sprouting plants and buds. Once the weather begins to warm and the threat of frost is gone, uncover the plants and allow them to continue to grow as normal. If the frost does happen to get to these flower buds, those flower buds will be damaged for the current season. However, this does not necessarily mean that the bulb will not produce additional flower buds at the proper time and then bloom as it normally should. Also, this one-time “frosting” will not have any adverse affect on the bulb’s performance in the years to come.

One more quick thing to keep in mind: sometimes bulbs sprout prematurely simply because the weather is unseasonably warm. However, sometimes there are factors we as gardeners create which can cause this premature sprouting. These factors are planting time and planting depth. Be sure that you wait until the weather is cool enough (consistently in the 40’s at night) in the fall to plant your spring blooming bulbs. Use the thermometer as your gauge and not just the calendar…as we all know, weather can be unpredictable and does not always turn cool at the same time every year. Planting your bulbs too early can cause them to then sprout too early. Also, keep in mind that most bulbs should be planted three times their height in depth. For example, if the bulb you are planting is approximately 2″ tall, then the top of this bulb should be covered with approximately 6″ of soil. Planting bulbs too shallow can cause premature growth as well.

Bulbs tend to take care of themselves...sit back and enjoy them!

Hopefully this article will calm some of your fears regarding your eager spring blooming bulbs! The most important thing to remember is that in most cases, nature can take care of itself. As long as your bulbs are planted correctly, your spring garden will be absolutely beautiful!

Until next time,

Have a question for Bridget? Email her at bridget@bulbblog.com.  If Bridget features your question in a blog post, you’ll receive a $5.00 coupon from one of our sponsors Holland Bulb Farms! Congratulations to Tammy for receiving her coupon!

This pink dahlia is a sure sign the summer is here!

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