The Spring Bulb and Planting in the Winter

The spring bulb and when during the fall and winter we should plant them. We live in a big country and the climates vary from coast to coast and from the northern areas to the Deep South. Most of the gardening literature is based on the Northeastern area and upper Midwest part of the country along with the marketing strategies in regards to the spring bulb. The reasoning behind this theory is because the ground has a tendency to freeze before any other part of the country.

The spring bulb planting time drives gardeners in other areas of the country crazy because some areas do not have problems with the ground freezing and they have to guess as to when to start planting. The West Coast, sometimes as far as Seattle, WA it is rare that the ground will freeze. Gardeners in the south, in the desert southwest, and up and down the California coast there is usually no frost at all.

The majority of all the huge bulb catalogs will ship their bulbs anytime between August and October and this is the best time for planting in the Northeast and upper Midwest. For those of us who live in areas where the ground does not freeze and we want to have some of the better bulbs we will need to purchase at this time and place them in a cool place until it is time for planting. You will find the best crop of bulbs during August and September, if you wait until October and maybe November the bulbs will not be as hardy. You should be able to order from a bulb catalog company and have them shipped directly to you at the proper time for your planting season.

Here are some of the best times to plant for the different areas of United States:

• In the Northeast, upper Midwest, and the Rocky Mountain areas you can plant during September up until the ground freezes.
• In the Appalachians, Lower Midwest, Mid-Atlantic Coast, and the Plains States you can plant September 30 through November 30.
• The Pacific Northwest Coast you can start planting in October through December 1.
• The South you can plant from October through December 15.
• The Gulf Coast area you can start planting from October through December 31.
• The California Coast you want to plant anytime Mid October through January.

The flowering spring bulb will offer a tried and true display of color when you need it and it does not require much time or effort. Make sure you choose the bulbs that are suitable for the area in which you live and they will most likely improve year after year. The trick to having healthy flowering bulbs is preparing the soil well when you plant. A well draining, rich soil that has a pH that is balanced will help feed the bulb and stimulate the growth and flowers. The well drained soil prevents rotting in cooler weather.

You want to choose large healthy bulbs that are not dry and withered up, or moldy or spongy. You need to find the right location to plant your bulbs as most fancy the full sun but will work well anywhere in the spring before the leaves are in bloom on the trees. Some spring blooming bulbs like the cool shade such as Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Dog's Tooth Violets, and Snowdrops.

You want to mix some bone meal into the bottom of the hole as you are getting ready to plant along with some fertilizer that is water soluble. Always plant the spring flowering bulbs pointed side up. This pointed end is the stem of the flower and you may see shriveled roots on the flat side. You want to plant the bulbs as deep as three times its size. You want to plant daffodils 6 - 8 inches deep and smaller bulbs 3 - 4 inches.

If you have problems with rodents eating your bulbs, sprinkle red pepper in the hole. An even better method is to place your spring planted bulbs in a cage of hardware cloth. The stems and roots will not have any problem growing through this material but the rodents can not get in. If you plant daffodils the rodents and other critters will avoid them. Next replace the soil and water the bulbs to help close any air pockets. You only need to water if you are having a dry fall and winter. Make sure you mark the areas where you have planted spring blooming bulbs so you will not disturb the area by trying to plant something else in the spring. After all your spring bulbs have finished blooming and their foliage has died back naturally you can cut them to the ground. The spring bulb needs this natural die back to make food reserves for the flowers of next year.