Fall is upon us and Gemmell's Garden Centre is here with your official reminder that now is the time to plant your Spring bulbs so, after the dreary final months of Winter, you can enjoy a pretty colourful display next Spring.
Here are a few tips for planting your Spring blooming bulbs.
Every Spring we get customers coming in to ask if we have bulbs they can plant. Most Spring flowering bulbs needs to be planted the previous Fall because they require at least 15 weeks of cool temperatures to help them bloom.
Tips for Planting Spring Blooming Bulbs
01. The rule of thumb with planting bulbs is usually twice the depth of the size of the bulb. Always try and plant bulbs in groups of odd numbers. This creates a more dramatic design statement rather than single bulbs randomly popping up throughout the garden. Planting swaths of small naturalizing bulbs like narcissus, snowdrops, scilla or muscari under trees or in your lawn can make a gorgeous display in colour in spring.
02. Bulbs prefer full sun to part shade. If you do not have full sun in your garden then often bulbs will do well planted under deciduous trees. There are no leaves in the spring so the bulbs will get enough light when they need it most. Once the trees leaf out and the bulbs are finished, hostas and other perennials can grow up around them.
03. In general, bulbs can be planted anytime in September through the end of October. Although daffodils prefer to be planted in September while all other bulbs can wait as late as October/November. I have even shovelled off the first snowfall from my garden and planted bulbs before the soil freezes as late as the end of November!
04. Squirrels or deer in your garden? Never fear there are a variety of bulbs that these critters do not like. Some examples of bulbs that are deer/squirrel resistant are: Allium, narcissus, crocus, fritillaria, snow drops, daffodils, hyacinth, and scilla.
05. If you absolutely love tulips but have pesky squirrels then consider spraying your bulbs with Bobbex before planting. This is an all natural spray that works well to deter squirrels from digging your bulbs up from the garden. Simply spray the bulbs then let them dry and plant. Other good deterrents are topdressing with hen manure, blood meal or laying chicken wire just under the surface of the soil above where your bulbs are planted. All of these tricks of the trade have proven to work quite well.
Spring bulbs are such a beautiful and easy way to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of a new gardening season. Go ahead...... plant some this fall I promise it`s worth the effort!
Peace & Plants,
Kelly Heath
Retail Manager
Gemmells Garden Centre - Your Ottawa Valley Garden Centre
Proudly serving Stittsville, Kanata, Smiths Falls, Brockville, Kemptville, Manotick, Carleton Place, Perth, Merrickville, Cornwall, Richmond & everywhere in between.