But here are a few good reasons:
And the only way I can have these wonderful flowers is if I kneel in the dirt with my back to the sun, and dig holes. Lots and lots of holes!
First I shop for the best bulbs Holland has to offer. Why Holland, you ask? It's a long, fascinating story about price gouging, insider trading, huge deals and massive market losses - when you've got some time, look up "Dutch Tulip Mania of 1637". It makes the housing bubble and market crash of 2008 look like kindergarten games. But the bottom line is, the premium bulbs in the world come from Holland. We've gotten some pretty good growers here in the Pacific Northwest, too, so I shop a number of stores, looking for the healthiest, most unique blooms.
 | |
| Estella Rijnveld Tulip |
When I shop for bulbs, I make sure they'll survive our Zone 5 climate - if I was in Madras, I could buy Zone 6 plants and in Sunriver, they'd be Zone 4 (or maybe even 3 if I was at a higher elevation). I never buy dahlias since I forget to dig them up before the ground freezes (and kills them) and I haven't had a lot of luck with growing Amaryllis inside (one year's bloom for an $8 bulb seems impractical). So I buy lots and lots of Muscari, Daffodils, Alliums and Anemones. Many people love the Crocus and Chionodoxa, too. The Chionodoxa multiply so they need a large area to go crazy in.
I spend a lot of time in the aisle at the stores, checking the bulb packages to be sure the bulbs aren't soft. I won't know until I have them in my hand if they have any diseases or maggots, but softness is a good indicator before I pony up my money. Once the bulbs are home, I look them over carefully to avoid bringing anything harmful into my garden. Out of 100, I might get one or two shriveled bulbs but I think that's pretty good if they came all the way from the Netherlands!
My favorite part of Spring bulb planting is the weather - it has to cool down to plant. No sweltering heat, no blindingly bright sun, just the cool, sweet-smelling days of late October with a gentle breeze if I'm lucky. Unfortunately, I've also dug bulbs into muddy soil in driving rain because I was running out of calendar. But the reward is great no matter the planting conditions - the important thing is to be sure the soil has begun its cool-down before the bulbs are planted.
Little bulbs, big bulbs, HUGE bulbs - how deep should the hole be dug? I follow the grower's advice: the bottom of the hole should be measured 3 times the diameter of the bulb. It's not an exact science so I just use the trowel with the inch marks on it and figure the size against the marks. The bigger the bulb, the deeper the hole. The Gladiator Allium is HUGE and you might be digging an 8" deep hole for it. But the little Crocus and Squill need only about 2".
So far, so good - the worst is almost over. Now just scratch up the soil at the bottom of the hole and mix some fertilizer in. If you can find a Bulb Fertilizer it'll say it's something like 5-10-5 with more phosphorus than nitrogen or potassium. Bone Meal has lots of phosphorus too, but we've found that critters like to dig up the plants to eat the bone meal. I once had a cat who would lick the dirt wherever the bone meal spilled!
If Bulb Fertilizer is hard to find, a balanced fertilizer will work too - use one that's 10-10-10 or 16-16-16. It's especially important to not let the bulb sit directly on the fertilizer since it would "burn" the root plate of the bulb where the roots grow.
After you've placed the bulb in the hole and replaced the dirt, pat it down and pour water over it. The flow of water will push dirt into the air pockets so the bulb is in full contact with the soil.
That's it. You're ready for Spring - how easy was that? Well, except for digging in rocks or tree roots or while it's raining/snowing. But, like childbirth, the work is forgotten when you see those lovely blooms brighten a grey March day.
Here's some more information you may enjoy:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/spring-flowering-bulbs/
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scenece3a.html
No comments:
Post a Comment