Spring Bulbs to Plant This Fall

Balmy summer nights have been replaced with crisp autumn air, and now we are reminded not to neglect fading gardens. Although the blooming season is coming to a close, it is time to look forward to spring. Improving the early spring show in a garden is easy with spring flowering bulbs. From tulips, crocus and scilla to chionodoxa and fritillaria, fall furnishes prime conditions to ensure a colorful early spring by planting bulbs.

Bulbs can suit many garden styles from formal gardens, woodland or meadow gardens, to small urban plots. Bulbs have a short flowering season and the foliage remains to photosynthesize and store food for the following season. The microclimate of an intended area should be considered since different bulbs fare better under different conditions. Tulips and hyacinths do well in full sun whereas some of the bulbs suitable for naturalizing are best planted in filtered shade that mimics their natural habitat. Scilla, crocus, snowdrops and daffodils are all suitable companions to turfgrasses or for meadow-type plantings.

When planted after hot weather ceases, roots become established but do not send up shoots. If planted too early or when it is too warm, bulbs may send up shoots that could be killed by the frost. The rule of thumb for planting bulbs is to plant them twice as deep as they are high. Today's photo is the 2003 WPC bulb planting at Faith's Garden in Gateway Center, Pittsburgh, with an inset of the bulbs in bloom in spring 2004.

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