Spring Bulbs – When’s a Good Time to Plant?
Quite honestly, I don’t think that there is a more inspiring and hopeful sight than when the first signs of spring bulbs start to appear.
But you can’t just pop into a garden store at any time of year and pick up a few bulbs, so why is that ? During Mid-Summer, through to early September, the Bulbs of Spring Flowering plants are resting in the soil in a ‘dormant’ state.
It is towards the end of this period, just before the bulbs begin the growth process that culminates in them throwing up new growth, flower buds and foliage that the best time to buy and plant Spring Flowering Bulbs comes along – late August and into September/October.
For instance, these are what Daffodil Bulbs look like when you buy them. And whether they are big or small, when you plant them into holes in the soil, the bottom of the bulb, where the roots will appear must be placed at the bottom of the hole, and the top of the bulb should be the height of the bulb below the surface of the soil.
Within a short time after planting, the bulbs will begin the long process through the Winter period of throwing out roots, gathering in moisture, and the bulb will begin to swell at a rate the will allow it’s first shoots to break through the surface of the soil some time between Christmas and early February. They then go on to flower.
After the flowers are over, we must let the leaves remain until they too are dying down. This is important, because until they do, the bulbs are storing up energy from the leaves to take them through the rest of the year and to build up the reserves for flowering next year.
It is not until the top growth has completely died down that the bulbs can be safely harvested. Consequently therefore they cannot and mostly do not appear on the shelf for sale until August at the earliest.
So, although it may be the very last thing on your mind during possibly the warmest time of the year, the summertime is when we should be thinking about which bulbs we might like to buy.
And whilst garden stores are fine, you will get a huge choice of different types if you go for a bulb catalogue.
Many of us are ‘traditionalists’, and we like to stick to the things that we are comfortable with …. and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. After all, knowing what you like is half the battle sometimes.
But sometimes it’s nice to try something new. And when you look around at what can be available, there are some truly amazingly beautiful spring flowers out there … and why shouldn’t you treat yourself to something that your friends will be in awe of !
After all, it won’t be the first time that a run on Dutch bulbs virtually turned them into a currency.
