Planting Fall Bulbs
Fall planting bulbs require sitting in cold soil to activate them to grow and bloom. These include early spring favourites like tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and alliums. These will bloom early in the spring (sometimes even through the snow!) and then die off, allowing other blooms to take their place.
Fall bulbs need to be planted in late September once the ground cools, but many places will have them for sale in late summer, so if you purchase some now, just keep them in a cool dark place until it’s time to plant.
Some bulb-growing plants, such as snowdrops, will do something called “naturalizing,” - which means that they will grow and spread through your flower beds. Depending on what you want, you can choose plants which do this or others which will stay where you planted them.
Bulbs need to be planted with the pointy end up and deep in the ground (up to six inches down) but make sure to read the planting instructions on the package.
Don’t forget to mark your bulbs when you plant them with a garden stake, marker or keep track of where you planted them in a journal. Marking and/or recording will help you be less likely to dig them up accidentally when planting in the future.
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