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You are going to see fall bulbs at stores everywhere.
In countries like the Netherlands, bulbs are grown every year. Once the bulb flowers, folks remove the off-colour bulbs and then the rest are dug up, dried and packaged for shipping.
Bulbs are packed and ready to be shipped the first week of August and we can start planting them any time once they arrive. When picking bulbs try to purchase ones with different bloom times so the show in your garden can last for a long time.
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Bulbs should be firm like an onion with their skin attached. If a bulb is soft or mushy, it will rot in the ground.
Squirrels love to eat crocus and tulip bulbs.
One year I planted about 200 crocus and four bloomed the following spring. Because of that, I plant mostly daffodils and snowdrops.
You can use bulb bins which are wire cages you put your bulbs in and then plant them in the ground. The bulb grows up through it and squirrels and other rodents cannot get into the bulbs.
You can also use hen manure. Rodents are offended by the smell and will leave things alone most of the time. The great thing with the hen manure is that in the spring when the bulbs begin to grow they get a boost of fertilizer from the manure.
Denise Hodgins is a professional gardening coach in London. Send your questions to coaching@diggendirtdesigns.com
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