Now that Fall is here, people are thinking about family get together, holiday visitors, cooking & gift giving.  Thinking about your garden planters and next Spring is not even a vague notion.  But, as you will read, now is the time to be thinking about planting up your garden bulbs. 

It only takes a bit of planning to assure that next Spring when you least expect it colorful flowers will start shooting up from your garden planters.  So, what is the first step?  How about deciding what flowerpots you want to plant the bulbs in.

Clean out a summer planter or how about purchasing that one pot you have had your eyes on for some time now!  Either way, make sure that the pots you select are deep enough to bury the bulbs into, making sure they are completely covered with potting soil. Azalea pots are shorter than a standard flowerpot but they work well.  A drain hole is also important.  That way the bulbs don’t sit in standing water and possibly rot.

Planting fall bulbs in containers is similar than planting them directly into the soil.  What’s great is that you can really pack a bunch of bulbs together creating a colorful potted display when bloomed.   Try to plant the bulbs 6” deep with the pointy end facing up and the roots down.  Group them together for a huge display or space them for a sparse display.  Try to keep the bulb count odd not even.

Cover the top of the clay garden pot with mulch to protect the bulbs while they over winter.  You can use leaves, peat moss, pine needles or a mulch product from your local garden center.  That’s it.  Not all that difficult.  So, if you plan NOW think about what you will have next Spring!

And then comes Winter.  There are winter flowering shrubs the will look lovely in your pottery. Now is the time to make sure you are using poly resin, concrete, sandstone or high fired glazed pottery that can stand the cold.  Put up some evergreens which look lovely this time of year when dusted with snow.  Plant a pine or spruce tree and add Christmas lights to bring some excitement and light to your garden or patio area.

There will always be 4 seasons and only one you.  Don’t let a season go by without planting in your garden containers.

Fall is here so now is the time to be thinking about planting the spring bulbs you have been dreaming about all year.

Whether you plant them in your garden or are thinking about trying to pot them up in a garden container, the fact remains that these flowers are stunning. And, so easy to grow! With a little effort up front you will be blessed with a ton of colorful flowers. The best part is that every year they will expand and increase in volume. Who can ask for anything better than that?

There are a few ways to pot up bulbs but we would like to give you more details on how to stack them inside a garden flowerpot. Of course, the first thing you must do is select the container that you will use to pot in. Do you like terracotta, the natural clay pottery that breathes and ages over time? Maybe you prefer a high shine glazed planter. Just make sure that whatever planter you select you want to have enough room for the bulbs to stack. The larger the pot the larger display of color you will be rewarded with. Also, make sure that there is a drain hole in the bottom. If it doesn’t then you can read more here about how to drill your own hole.

First, select the type of bulbs you want. Go to your local Nursery or Garden Center or order online. Most bulbs will need 6 to 8 inches of soil at a minimum. Take into account how tall they will grow. Since we are going to stack them, start by putting the larger bulbs on the bottom of the pottery. Did you put the pointed end up? Good! Cover with about 2 inches of soil and then start your next layer putting the smaller ones on top. When you pot them like this the smaller will bloom first next spring and the larger will fill in after. Try to have at least 7 bulbs in a pot and remember that the more bulbs the more blooms.

Lastly always use new and good potting soil. You can’t use dirt out of the ground for many reasons. Fill your pot with potting soil up to a few inches from the rim. Then move the pots inside the garage if they can’t stay out all winter. Your bulbs may like the cold but not all garden pottery is meant to sit outside. Then when the weather starts to warm up move them outside and place in a sunny spot.

Good luck and share with us how you did!