Buds and Blooms: Plant lots of bulbs for a spring thrill

By Medicine Hat News on September 23, 2017.

Are you getting out to the garden to keep the colours alive? Keep pruning and your plants will continue to perform for you. My favourite fall colour comes from the boldness of my zinnias. The show of roses is continuing because they like these cool nights we are having. Continue deadheading.

I have noticed the burning bush shrubs turning to scarlet and a few ash trees changing to gold. The noisy grackles are congregating in a large flock but not the robins yet. I hope we have a long sunny autumn because I didn’t really enjoy the temperatures of our long sunny summer.

Now is the time to begin the fall cleanup, while the weather is so beautiful. The ‘Perfect Lady’ daffodil will be in my garden shortly. Know that you can plant fall bulbs right up until the ground freezes.

Masses of bulbs make a louder statement and inter-planting different varieties looks more interesting. Allium balls look great amongst tall delphiniums, especially the ‘Summer Drummer’ which is a purple and white eight-inch ball on a six-foot stem. They are excellent in a tall vase when dried. Allium are related to the onion family, which also includes garlic, chives and shallots. Plant garlic now too. It is said when garlic is planted near your roses it keeps bad bugs away.

I want more tulips and daffodils. Along my dark brown fence in springtime I await the roses. This year while I wait I am going to enjoy loads of flowering bulbs along that fence. The bright red and yellow fringed tulips are my favourite, and they stand out so well with the yellow-orange daffodils. And the ‘Pretty Lady’ is going in also! Adding some white tulips makes them all stand out. I also like the daffodils and tulips planted alongside variegated iris.

Tulips need well drained, deep, organic soil. Raised beds are ideal. Bulb Booster or bone meal should be mixed in each hole at the proper depth for the phosphorous, provided from this fertilizer, to aid in root development. Fertilize again in the spring with nitrogen and potash. Water at planting time and regularly through spring growth. Let the foliage die back on the plant after blooming to feed next year’s bulb. If you plant bulbs close to your perennials the dead leaves will be hidden by the new growth and it is likely that the bulb will not be disturbed snug up to the perennial. Note: deer love to nibble tulips but they won’t eat your daffodils. Spraying Bobex or Plantskyd on your tulips, as they are emerging, will protect them.

When shopping for tulips look for colour, uniqueness, height and bloom time. Plant a lot of variation to make you smile while you wait for your perennials.

Hyacinths are super fragrant and they come in white, pink, purple, red, blue and yellow. My husband planted some late in November last year and they all came up very well! Hyacinths can be planted in rock gardens, or borders to transition to the heights of taller tulips and daffodils from masses of crocuses and snow drops, which bloom earliest.

Soon it will also be time to lift your tender summer bulbs such as dahlias, cannas, callas and gladiolus. Remove the soil from these bulbs, cut the dead foliage off and store the bulbs in a paper bag with some peat moss, and bulb dust, in a cool dry place. I think they are not quite ready for this process because I see quite a show still from these ones around town.

Enjoy your fall until it is time to put your garden to bed.

Bev Crawford is the Perennial House manager at The Windmill Garden Centre and John’s Butterfly House.