Would you like to grow some at your house next spring? If so, here's a hot tip: now's the time to plant them! It's easy and I know you can do it, brown thumb or no -- and in fact, last week I gave a zillion links to HOW!!! to do that!
Actually, this is a great project to do along with children, too. If nothing else, it will make the instigator of the project look like a gardening pro -- not to mention give the kids a feeling of horticultural prowess.
KEWL!
Odd as it may seem, spring blooming bulbs are planted in the fall. Each bulb is a self-contained plant complete with blossom inside, so success is more or less guaranteed. Bulbs are amazing: after you bury them (pointy-end up, please) they will root, send up a stem with a flower on it, bloom magnificently and then finally form leaves. That's one tidy package!
Despite the bulbs' readiness to burst into bloom, there are a couple of potential land mines.
First no-no: planting them in a spot that is soggy over winter -- they need a sunny and well-drained spot so if you see puddles where they are planted, they will probably drown.
Third no-no: planting bulbs that have been poorly handled -- if they have been subjected to excessive heat or humidity or look moldy or have been otherwise abused prior to planting, the flower buds may abort or the bulbs may rot.
That is just TOO disappointing, so do it right.
If bulbs are so tough, why don't they come back every year? The answer is "it depends". It depends on where you planted them and the variety you selected in the first place. Some tulips, for instance, are simply more likely to perennialize than others. The same goes for daffodils. Crocus are very hardy little things, but rodents love to eat them -- if they aren't devoured in the fall you may see chipmunks stealing them in the spring.
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