Editor’s note: Get Growing, written by the La Plata County Extension Office’s Master Gardener Program, appears during the growing season. It features timely tips and suggestions for your garden and landscape.
It’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s garden, especially when it contains flowers from fall-planted bulbs. Here are the basics of choosing, planting, and caring for those gems.
Bulbs are economical, easy and rewarding, but what kinds do you plant? Consider the timing of the bloom, sun exposure, availability to deer and how many to plant. From crocuses to irises, you can plant a wave of beauty that returns year after year from March through June.
Just like many flowers, bulbs have preferences for sun exposure. Many bulbs will bloom before the overstory leaves out, granting exposure to full sun. Deer love their tulips, but not so much the irises and daffodils. Save your prized tulips for fenced locations. In terms of quantity, it’s best to use a lot of bulbs for the greatest impact. Even if you can only manage one clump of bulbs, make sure it’s a good one.
Fall bulbs should be planted when nighttime temperatures are consistently below 50 degrees. Plant a bulb three times as deep as its diameter, pointy side up, backfill and water in. In poor soils bulbs would benefit by adding a mild fertilizer to the backfill.
It’s important to know that the foliage of a spent bulb provides critical nutrients that will recharge the bulb for next season’s performance. Only after the leaves turn yellow is it all right to cut them down to the ground.
More information about bulb basics can be found on the Durango Botanic Gardens website https://durangobotanicgardens.org. While you are there, check out the online bulb sale that runs through Aug. 16 to benefit the efforts of the DBG.
You’ll find a great selection unique, high-quality and locally tested bulbs from Holland to plant this fall for your spring enjoyment.
