More pointers on buying and planting bulbs
Pot 'em up!
For blooming pots of colourful tulips, daffodils and crocus next spring, plant bulbs in the fall, advises the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center in New York City. They offer these additional tips:
• Choose pots with drainage holes
• Fill with potting soil or sand (or both)
• Plant bulbs at the same depth as in the garden: two times the height of the bulb. Place bulbs very close together to achieve a bouquet effect when in bloom.
• Water well and place the pots in a cold protected area where temperatures range from 0 to 10 C.
Next spring enjoy a moveable feast of bright springtime flowers, indoors or out. For more information, see: Spring-Blooming Bulbs at Bulb.com.
More pointers:
Buy bulbs in bulk
When planning fall bulb-planting projects, remember that buying tulips, daffodils and other flower bulbs in bulk can greatly reduce prices per bulb. For example, the approximate cost of the highly desirable marigold-orange tulip Ballerina can vary from about 67 cents each (bought in bags of 10) to 30 cents each (for orders of 1,000). Following are tips on buying bulbs in bulk from the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center.
• Consider pooling bulb orders with friends or neighbours to achieve bulk quantities and save money. When the bulbs arrive, throw a Bulb Divvying-Up Party.
• Look for naturalizing mixes. Many retailers offer naturalizing mixes of daffodils, crocus and other bulbs at very good prices. The bulbs are sold in large quantities for mass plantings and may include less expensive, smaller-calibre bulbs, which mature in place once planted in the landscape.
• Find out when local retailers typically hold their end-of-season sales. What seems late in the season to a retailer may seem just-right-for-planting to you.
• For a list of mail-order bulb companies, visit www.mailordergardening.com.
Plant in the fall
Fall is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. It's also an excellent season for planting perennials such as euphorbia, hostas, bleeding hearts, daylilies, lady's mantle, and coral bells. Such perennials make excellent bulb buddies in the garden because their leaves complement spring floral displays while later masking the fading foliage of the bulb flowers after bloom.
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