Fall is here and now is the time to plant your bulbs for springtime color. By planting bulbs in the fall, you can give your spring garden a colorful headstart with tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, alliums, and crocuses. To ensure your bulbs sprout in the spring, follow these tips for bulb planting in the fall.
Look for High-Quality Bulbs
We all love a bargain, but what they say is true, you get what you pay for. Cheap or low-quality bulbs often produce fewer stalks, and the bulbs can be old or even rotten. At Studley’s, we have stayed in business for almost 100 years because we never compromise on quality. Visit us for high-quality bulbs that will reward you with a healthy and colorful garden this spring. If you need advice choosing bulbs for your garden, our staff of plant experts are always onsite to answer your questions.
Keep Track of Your Planting Spots
If you have ever forgotten where you planted your bulbs, you are definitely not alone. When you completely cover them with the soil in the fall, by the time spring comes around, remembering where you planted your bulbs can be tricky. To help you remember, place markers in the soil that will survive the snow and still be useful after the winter. Some gardeners like to plant perennials alongside their bulbs for continuous color, so making a list of which bulbs you planted near which perennials is another useful way to remember. You can also take photos, draw a diagram, or whatever else you find is a useful memory aid.
Remember Your Fall Bulb Planting Basics
If you are planting bulbs for the first time, there are a few basic rules of bulb planting that are important to remember. First, remember that the pointy end should point to the sky. Most bulbs are a teardrop shape, and the stem will emerge from this pointed tip. However, not all bulbs have obvious ends, so look up the specific bulbs you intend to plant or ask one of our experts for advice.
Planting depth is also crucial. The depth to plant the bulb varies depending on the flower, but the general rule is that the depth should be two to three times the height of the bulb. So, if your bulb is two inches tall, you should plant the bulb four to six inches deep. Keep a ruler with your gardening tools or use a hori hori knife, which has a ruler engraved on the blade.
As with all gardening, timing is key when planting bulbs. Overnight temperatures should be 40 to 50°F, which means the start of fall is the ideal time to plant spring bulbs. At Studley’s, we start to stock spring bulbs around the time to plant them in the fall, so there’s no need to guess if you have the timing right.
Find all your fall gardening needs at Studley’s! Visit our store and garden center to prepare your garden for the changing seasons.
- Tags: allium, bulbs, daffodil, fall bulb planting, fall gardening, flowers, garden flowers, hyacinth, tulip
More from Our Experts
Fresh Blooms, Fresh Ideas
