Are you planting spring bulbs at your house? I hope so! There are never too many bulbs. I remember when I thought an order of 800 bulbs was a big one. My husband thought so, back then, too. Now we know better.
Spring blooming bulbs are planted in the fall. It's the gardener's knee jerk response to the onset of shorter days and dark cold winter. Bulbs are like seeds only better. With seeds, you have to wait for the plant to grow before it finally flowers. With bulbs, you get the flower first! Well, maybe there is that little interval called winter between planting and bloom, but we won't go there.
Whether you order your bulbs by mail or buy them at the local garden center or discount store, try to plant them soon. If you can't plant them right away, store them in an airy place on the cool side and keep them dry.
Storage is important. Although bare bulbs may look dead, they are alive. The reputable bulb companies go to great lengths to hold the bulbs under controlled storage conditions so they will reach you in a healthy state. So don't negate all that effort. Probably the worst thing you can do is leave them in a plastic bag where there might be some condensation. This is an invitation for trouble!
Once you are ready to plant and have a bulb in one hand and a shovel in the other, you need to think a little about where to dig that hole. A sunny spot is good for most types of bulbs. It should also be a spot that doesn't turn into a mud hole during rainy weather. I like to plant a few bulbs right by the door I use every day but if your door is on the shady north side of the house, you might do better to look for a different, sunnier location.
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