It may sound crazy to new gardeners, but avid gardeners know that if you want to create a beautiful spring, you’ve got to work on it in the fall. Bulb planting occurs in September, so even though some of us are preparing for a long winter, now is the time to think about what flowers you’ll want to see peeping out of the snow-covered ground when spring comes tiptoeing back.
Bulb planting allows for different looks in your garden
Bulb flowers, with their showy blooms and hardy stalks, can be planted sparingly for an elegant display. Planting alternate colors or one color to create rows of flowers standing proudly at attention is a traditional, time-honored way to use bulbs for your garden display. But it’s not the only way—bulbs can also offer a wonderful, easy option to fill in bare areas with lush, unrestrained color. Here’s where you can have some fun, planting a mixed bags of bulbs in one area for a ready-made display of varied blooms of many different colors, textures, and heights. Choosing a few daffodil varieties can produce a burst of golden color to brighten your garden after a cold, dark winter.
Use yard borders or landscape edging to define spaces for bulb displays
Installing garden edging around your beds will define areas for bulb planting. Frame it All has many options for lawn edging and garden borders to help you create a spectacular display for spring. Unlike flimsy black plastic edging, which rapidly gets down-trodden and looks awful, our ‘Eco-Friendly’ garden border systems are durable and add eye appeal to your property. They are simple to install, with composite wood grain timbers and patented joints with long barbed stakes to ensure it stays put. Using Frame it All landscaping borders, you don’t even need to dig around your garden beds! Check out our video for an easy weekend project this month.
Once bulbs are planted, cover with mulch and stones to protect from animals (to a deer, bulbs are practically a delicacy) and let them sit over the winter. You may want to add the protection of our small animal barrier to keep out those pesky critters once the shoots appear! Spring will bring the reward: a spectacular display of vibrant color around your yard or garden. You can also use one of our lawn edging kits to create a circular border under trees; although there are some special considerations for planting bulbs under trees.
Bulbs can work for you…no matter the weather!
Now, for those of us in cool climates, the nice thing about bulbs is that they require a dormancy period to bloom properly. With our own ready-made dormancy period—frost and winter—we love bulbs in the colder regions of North America. Hey, all that snow has to be good for something! But if you live in a warmer climate and want to plant bulbs for spring, do not fear! Some bulbs do very well in warmer climates. Try narcissus (paperwhites), allium, flame lilies or spider lilies, and more.
We hope this information will help you set up for a beautiful Spring this Fall! You can also get more in-depth information on planting bulbs in warmer climates and the attributes of specific bulbs. Enjoy your fall bulb planting!
