A gift for yourself

Give yourself a treat. Get out there and spend a little time with Mother Nature. By planting flower bulbs now, you’ll be delighted in early spring by flowers in sparkling colors and fascinating shapes. Crocuses, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths to name a few. All of these wonderful flowers will be yours in the spring simply by enjoying the beauty of fall while planting them. So, what are you waiting for? Choose your favorite flower bulbs and give them a nice little spot to grow.

Planting in three steps

If you aren’t sure how to plant your flower bulbs, don’t worry: it’s as easy as one, two, three and lots of fun to do. Just follow these steps for great results:

Step 1

Dig one hole for a group of flower bulbs or make individual holes for planting several single flower bulbs. The size of the flower bulb determines how deep it should be planted. Large flower bulbs (2 inches or larger in diameter) should be planted 6 inches deep and small flower bulbs (1 – 2 inches) 3 to 4 inches deep. If better drainage is needed, add some garden mold to the soil.

Step 2

Place the flower bulbs gently into the soil with the point on top. Large flower bulbs should be planted 3 to 8 inches apart and small bulbs 1 to 3 inches apart.

Step 3

Cover the flower bulbs with the soil dug from the hole. If the soil is dry, give the flower bulbs some water.

Before frost sets in

But when exactly should you plant your flower bulbs? To answer this question, you have to know that they need the cold of winter to produce a beautiful flower display. This is why these garden gems should be planted from September through December. Make sure, however, to get them in them before the soil freezes for the first time. It’s actually best to plant them once it’s already starting to turn colder. If you plant them too early, some warm weather might just trick the bulbs into starting to grow.

Interesting facts:

• Did you know that flower bulbs can be adding beauty to your garden as early as January? And this is just the start of months of pleasure from their gorgeously colored flowers. If you schedule their flowering periods carefully, you can have flowers in your garden until July.
• This year’s Flower Bulb of the Year is the grape hyacinth. It’s one of the first flower bulbs to bloom in the spring.
• Have you ever heard of lasagna planting? This involves planting various layers of flower bulbs one over another just like you do when making that famous Italian pasta casserole.
• Children love discovering the joys of nature. So why not let them get their hands dirty by having fun helping you with the planting?