Last Chance to Plant
It is time to start thinking about spring 2009. Especially, if you were looking at your neighbors beautiful tulips and daffodils enviously last year, having forgotten to plant your own.
Bulbs can usually be found in garden centers by early autumn, and can be planted up until the holidays in milder climates. It is important to get your bulbs as soon as possible as garden centers still sell bulbs, but the selection is getting sparse. The bulbs need to be put into the ground or pots because they need the cool moist months of winter to develop strong roots, which will help them support their foliage and flowers.
Some bulbs need extreme cold to bring out their best, which milder climates do not supply. Tulips, hyacinths and other such flowers need to have a period during which the bulbs are chilled. They need to be put in the refrigerator for about 12 weeks, to give them something similar to a dormant winter.
It is important not to put bulbs beside ripening fruit, because fruit gives off ethylene gas that damages or kills flower buds inside the bulbs.
Chilling your flowers is an especially good idea if you want them to bloom a bit earlier, but it is best to consult a gardening book on this topic.
[Via: San Jose Mercury News]
Related posts:
- Fall is the Season for Garden Preparation
- Blooming in Winter
- New Spring Flowers to Consider
- Bulbs – an Essential Element for Your Garden
- The Buried Treasures of Winter
