Dreaming of spring color?

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12/21/2011 3:45:39 PM

Here's the drill: Buy hardy bulbs now and plant them before the ground freezes. Get the job done fast and efficiently with these tips.

1. Clear a spot. There are many ways to do this but if you are searching for spaces to tuck in bulbs, focus first on fall garden cleanup. Open areas will be revealed when you pull out spent annuals and cut back perennials. If you are using a garden planter make sure that it is cleaned out. If you re-use the same soil, add fertilizer to it to pump it up and give your bulbs the healthiest start.

2. Choose a tool. Dibbles and trowels are good for digging individual holes for small 13188 Auger

bulbs. An auger, shown, reduces fatigue if you have lots of holes to dig. Use a shovel to excavate one hole for a large clump of a dozen or more bulbs. When planting in a piece of pottery, you can use a hand trowel or else you can fill the pot half full of soil, set the bulbs in the dirt and then cover over with more dirt. If your pot is sitting out exposed thru winter, we recommed covering the top soil with mulch or straw.

3. Dig the right debth. Plant bulbs at a depth three times their height. Make sure that you don't place them to deep. Make sure the growing tip is pointing up, like those pictured here. Cover with soil, water. Spread mulch over the top to prevent heaving from freezing and thawing.

You may be asking yourself if it is too late to plant bulbs? You can plant spring flowerin bulbs until garden soil is frozen or to hard to dig. But don't delay planting if you don't have to. The longer you wait, the less likely bulbs are to bloom next year.