If you are like me, you are receiving emails from all the flower bulb distributors about their end of season sales. This is a great time to get bulbs at a discounted price. Some varieties may be out of stock for the year, but if you are wanting to add an early pop of color to your yard next spring, hardy bulbs can be an affordable way to do it. Fall and winter are the best time to plant spring blooming bulbs. Some examples of these spring blooming hardy bulbs include daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, and alliums. There are tender bulbs that need to be planted in the spring after the threat of frost and freezing temperature have passed. Some examples of tender bulbs are gladiolus, callas, and caladiums.

Single Blooming Daffodils

Bulbs take little maintenance and many multiply over the years. Depending on species and cultivar, spring bulbs can bloom as early as January and late as early summer. In order to have beautiful bulbs for years to come, it’s important to leave the above ground foliage until it has completely died back. This allows energy to store up in the bulb. When your bulbs have finished blooming, they continue growing to store up food, then go dormant, dying back to the ground until cooler weather. In late winter, they will start over, regrowing roots and leaves before they bloom again. Bulbs can be interplanted with perennials and summer annuals to camouflage the dying foliage.

Crocus

Bulbs need good drainage and full sun to part shade. Bulbs will not bloom if they get too much shade and will rot if the soil stays too wet. For later blooming bulbs, plant them in a place that is shaded midday. This will protect their delicate blooms from being scorched by the sun. Early flowering bulbs tend to do well under deciduous trees. This is because the bulbs will bloom and the plant will go dormant before the leaves on the tree provide heavy shade.

The general rule of thumb is to plant bulbs three to four times as deep as they are wide. If the bulb is planted too shallow, it exposes the bulb to above ground temperatures. Shallow planted bulbs may have very small bloom or may not bloom at all. There is no need to fertilize bulbs that will only flower one season, such as tulips. Perennial bulb plantings should have a slow release fertilizer mixed into the rooting area at planting. Once established, fertilize based on the results of a soil analysis when shoots emerge in the spring.

As mentioned above, many bulbs multiply. They eventually become overcrowded and may even stop blooming as a result. To remedy this, dividing and replanting can be done. Bulbs can be dug once their foliage has died back. You can either replant immediately or they can be stored in a cool, dry area out of direct sunlight until you have time to replant in the fall.. If any bulbs look diseased or damaged, toss them.

Daffodils are one the the most popular spring blooming bulbs. There are many varieties to choose from with different bloom shapes, sizes, variations of orange to white, and bloom times. Unlike tulips and crocus, deer and squirrels rarely eat daffodil bulbs, which are toxic. Know that many bulbs need a 12 to 16 week chill period. Here in the South it is best to stick with varieties that are native to areas with warm winters. A few cultivars that are dependable to bloom every year: ‘Ice follies’ which is an early, large-flowering cultivar, ‘Ceylon’ is a taller early to mid season cultivar, ‘Tete-a-tete’ is one that often used to “naturalize” areas and is shorter than ‘Ceylon’ only growing between 9 and 12 inches tall, and ‘Geranium’ is one of the only late blooming, heat tolerant varieties.

Double Daffodils

Bulbs are a low maintenance plant to add to your gardens. They provide an early pop of color when most other plants are still dormant. They have great value in the landscape including form, fragrance, and lasting brilliance. Now is a great time to take advantage of end of season deals to add early spring interest to your garden next year. For more information about landscape or container gardening, contact N.C. Cooperative Extension, Richmond County Center at (910) 997-8255. In addition, follow us on Facebook or visit our website for upcoming events and up to date information.