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Fall Planting, Spring Blooms

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Jackie Sons
Fall Planting, Spring Blooms

Fall Planting, Spring Blooms

Your landscape can spring to life with the first spring rains when you plant perennial bulbs says Jackie, owner of Native Wildflowers Nursery. You can plant perennial flower and fern bulbs in September or October with a result of a beautiful garden that blossoms during spring, summer, and the following fall.

 

 Planning your spring garden provides the best results. Start with high-quality bulbs planted in Fall with a firm, plump qualities. Avoid bulbs with mold or a soft, squishy feel to them. You may want to stock up when you find superior bulbs. If you purchase these during the winter season for the following fall, the best way to store these if you reside in a cold-winter climate is to place them in plastic containers and bury them. Once the weather warms, you dig up the containers and store them in a cold, dry climate that typically holds a temperature of about 40 to 55 degrees like the basement, work shed, or garage.

 

 Your garden needs an area that gets direct sunlight for most of the day in all seasons. This means you need to choose a space for your garden plot that gets full sunlight of at least six hours of direct sun each day during the fall and winter and spring and summer. The garden plot also needs good drainage. Measure twice, plant once. You need to know the square footage available to plant so you can choose the appropriate amount of bulbs.

 

 While the depth of planting varies by flower bulb type, you can typically calculate hole depth. The hole should to be at least twice as deep as the bulb length. A bulb four inches tall needs a hole at least eight inches deep. Always check the information that accompanies the bulbs because some plant varieties need different depths. This is especially important during a chilly planting season. You need the bulbs deep enough that the winter weather will not bother them.

 

 When you plant the bulb, do so with the pointy end facing the hole opening. If nothing seems pointy, the ends with roots sprouting out belong at the bottom of the hole. Instead of planting bulbs in straight rows as you would seed, zigzag their placement to grow more easily. Plant the fall perennial bulbs in an irregular fashion results in a natural-looking garden.

 

 If your garden plot does not already have loamy soil ripe with organic matter, mix organic matter such as a bone meal with potting soil and mix it with the existing topsoil. With clay soil, you should mix compost into it to obtain the appropriate mix. This is especially important if, during your summer season, your area experienced a drought.

 

 You can prevent weeds from sprouting by covering the garden plot with two or three inches of mulch. The bulbs can push through this, but not much else can. Mulch also provides a great way to thwart squirrels from digging up your bulbs. You can also spread chicken wire or mesh over the planting area to stop their digging. Covering this with a mulch mixture helps keep the yard attractive. Animals forage for food more fiercely in fall and winter when food stores are more scarce.

 

 Areas with little rain need to water regularly. If your city gets daily rain, you need not worry, but if not, on the days with no rain, you should water your potential plants to help encourage their root growth. Regular watering also helps eliminate air pockets within the soil mix. ~ Pro tip from owner of Perennial Nursery CO

 

 You can carry the landscaping theme to your porch or patio by planting bulbs in large containers. This extends the color theme of the yards onto the outdoor living areas. 

 When your plants reach a height of between two to four inches, they are ready for fertilizer. Stake them while they remain seedling height, so they have something to lean on as they grow taller. Pinch off old flowers as they spring up, a process called deadheading. This encourages new growth.

 

 You can grow a bright, festive spring garden with little work. Simply plant bulbs in the fall, then water your lawn accordingly.

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