It's Bulb Planting Season!

Posted by Barbara M. Martin Oct 27, 2006

I love spring flowering bulbs. It is such an act of faith to bury a bare bulb in the fall and expect it to not only survive down there but also reappear and BLOOM early next spring. If you plant good quality bulbs in a sunny spot with well drained soil (not a soggy place where the soil is extra wet after a rain) then your success is virtually guaranteed.

Fall bulb planting time is a ritual and a tradition for me. In my Pennsylvania garden I planted thousands and thousands of bulbs over the years. You could probably say I became addicted to bulbs. I guess there are worse addictions one could have.

I purchased in bulk because the bulb prices are far less expensive in larger quantities. I also like to plant a big swath of all one bulb because it looks more impressive in bloom so I had hundreds at a time to put in.

With so many bulbs to plant, I learned it is possible to plant right up until the ground freezes hard, although certainly it is better for the bulbs to plant a bit earlier than that so they have more time to become rooted before the soil freezes solid. (It's also easier on the gardener -- a crust of frozen soil is tough to dig through!)

Planting late may also allow you to take advantage of the late season marked down sale prices on bulbs -- but check and make sure the bulbs you find this way are still in good condition. Planting bad bulbs is a waste of time.