Fall means.....Bulb Planting!!

Each summer I get the Breck's catalog with such anticipation.  I love seeing all the new flowers they are offering, how many I can get at a steal price, and what will withstand my very aggressive deer population.

Spring and summer blooming bulbs can be planted all fall, right up until Thanksgiving in Southeastern Pennsylvania, so don't feel and pressure to get them into the ground asap. You want to get them into the ground before it freezes, giving them time for their roots to establish before winter. 

Bulbs are a wonderful flower, you plant them once and they come back.  There is little to no maintenance and the price is fairly inexpensive too.  They like well drained soil (meaning they shouldn't be planted where water pools) and a balanced pH in the soil that can feed the bulbs.  If you are worried about your soil pH, you can have it tested at some garden centers or you can always throw in some compost while you are planting to enrich the soil.  

Most spring bulbs like daffodils like sun, but remember since these bulbs bloom before the trees, they can be planted almost anywhere in your yard and still get a lot of sun. Its really nice to have a bright flower in a spot of your yard that typically can not grow most flowers because of the heavy shade. 

I have still only lived in my house just over a year and the previous owner didn't plant anything in the yard (such boring people!!!) so I am slowly adding more and more bulbs each season.  I wish I could plant hundreds at once, but the cost and finding the time to do it are both really hard to come by.

Last fall I was about 37 weeks pregnant when we moved and I planted 40 bulbs with my mom the following weekend.  It was hard work then with a giant belly, but I was thankful after the long winter to have some life in my back yard come spring.  Tackling the rest of my hilly, rocky, weed infested, poison ivy factory back yard is a whole other story!

When they do bloom, take a picture, not just to share with others but also for you to have as a map of where things were the past year and blank spots that need to be filled in this year. Here is a quick snap shot from my kitchen window from last spring, there are more bulbs spread across the hill side and it really was a pretty sight.  But......

if I want to end up with a back yard that looks more like this:

I need to develop some patience and think of this project as more of a 5 year plan then something that is completed in one growing season.  Happy Planting!