Gardening Tips, Common Problems, Vegetable Gardens, Plants » Bulbs

Now is the Time: Plant your Spring Bulbs in the Fall, Anytime Before the Ground Freezes

greenthumb — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:01:12 +0000

You can plant your spring flowering bulbs in the fall anytime before the ground freezes. The earlier you plant the better. This will give your plant more time to establish a root system before the ground freezes.

Good soil drainage is important to growing bulbs. If your soil has a lot of clay you can improve it by adding compost and peat moss.

Here are some more useful tips about planting your spring bulbs in the fall:

Purchase high quality bulbs.
If you are looking to group you flowers you can plant your bulbs in a trench instead of digging individual holes.
Check the package label for the correct depth.
If you have no directions, go ahead and dig the holes a depth of about 3 times the height of the bulb.
Make sure the soil is loose and add organic matter.
Add bulb fertilizer to the bottom of the hole mixing it in the soil.
Place the bulb in the bottom of the hole, right side up. (point up, roots down)
Refill the hole, tapping down the soil lightly.
Water thoroughly. A little more than usual for about 1 week.
Place mulch, pine needles or straw on top of the ground where you planted your bulbs. This will give your bulbs protection from the freezing ground.

Don’t forget to remove the mulch in the spring!

Need some gardening advice or just a useful tip or two? Leave us a comment with your gardening question or click here to contact us. Either way, we’ll give you personalized gardening advice.

What do I do with my Easter Lily?

greenthumb — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:45:52 +0000

With the abundance of Easter Lilies making an appearance in the weeks before Easter, we know there are probably many of you out there that received an Easter Lily as a gift this Easter. We also know, from extensive research, that many of these gifted Easter lilies end up in the garbage…but that doesn’t have to be the case…

You can plant your Easter lily!

An Easter Lily is a bulb, so not only can you plant your lily, you can enjoy it year after year as it re-blooms each summer.

Here is some history on the Easter Lily, further down the post you’ll find information about planting your Easter Lily:

The Easter Lily (lilium longiflorum) is native to the Southern Islands of Japan, and is the traditional Easter flower.
Almost all of the bulbs for the potted Easter Lily market are produced in the coastal regions of California and Oregon – known as the “Easter Lily Capital of the World”.

Here’s something you may not know about Easter Lilies – the bulbs are harvested in the fall and shipped to greenhouses where they are forced to bloom under controlled conditions for the Easter holiday.

In the natural world, the Easter lily blooms in mid summer. So when you plant your blooming plants this year, don’t look for them again until next summer. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t bloom for Easter, they’ll be up a couple of months later, as beautiful as ever.

Here is helpful information for caring for you Easter Lily indoors, until you get a chance to plant them in the garden:

Lilies like moderately cool temperatures between 60-65 degrees
Keep away from drafts, excessive heat (fireplaces, heating ducts)
Place your Lily near a window with bright indirect natural sunlight
When soil feels dry – water thoroughly
IMPORTANT: Make sure your plant is not sitting in water – check the decorative wrapping around the pot to make sure water is draining out

Once the last frost date for your region has passed, it is safe to plant your Easter Lily outside.

Here is what you’ll need for outdoor Easter Lily planting:

Planting area with excellent drainage (lilies don’t like sitting in water)
Soil that is rich in organic matter
A sunny location

Ready to plant your Easter Lily? Follow these directions:

Plant your lily with the base 8 inches deep – this will allow part of the stem which is below the ground to develop roots which will protect the bulb over the winter. Lilium longiflorum is a stem-rooter, growing roots along the buried stem as well as from the bulbs bottom
Be sure to leave the foliage and flower stem intact
The green leaves will remain all summer. These leaves play an important part in providing food for the bulb
Don’t prune the stalk until the leaves turn yellow
Mulch the area to retain moisture in the soil, cut down on weed growth, and keep the bulbs warm in winter

If you’re lucky you may see a second bloom later this summer. If not then you will have to wait until next summer to see your Easter Lilies bloom again.

Easter Lily bulbs are hardy even in cold climates. Protect your lily in winter with a thick layer of mulch, and remove the mulch next spring to allow the sprouts to easily find the surface.

If you do decide to plant your Easter Lily in your garden and get a second bloom this summer, we would love to hear about it. Use our contact form to let us know!

Are your spring bulbs breaking through to the surface?

greenthumb — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:30:58 +0000

The groundhog said six more weeks of winter so what do you do if your spring bulbs are breaking through the surface of the ground now? Nothing! Many times when you plant bulbs close to concrete they tend to break through the surface soil much earlier than those bulbs planted further from warm surroundings. Concrete conducts heat, so the soil around concrete is usually warmer than soil further away.

This is more of an issue if you live in the middle of the country or if you have unseasonably warm weather in the north. Leaves on bulbs are hardy and should be able to survive the freezes and thaws that sometimes come in February and March. Even if your leaves do wilt a bit your flowers buds should still be able to survive some cold weather.

So, if your bulbs flower early this spring, and the forecast calls for a freeze, you might want to go ahead and cut the blooms. You can arrange them in a vase to enjoy inside your home.

Here’s how to treat the bulb foliage after your bulbs have bloomed:

Leave them alone until the bulb foliage has turned yellow.
Do not braid or bundle. Braiding and bundling will interfere with the amount of sunlight getting to the leaf surfaces.
Do not cut them down. Cutting down the bulb foliage before they have turned yellow will stop your bulb from preparing for next years bloom.

Following these simple steps will ensure healthy bulbs that bloom year after year.

Click here for more information About Bulbs.