September 2008 - planting bulbs

SACANDAGA GARDEN CLUB - by Barbara Henry

Have you noticed some blank spots in your garden or some areas where you think a splash of color would be nice? September is a good month for planting spring flowering bulbs. You can make plantings that will give you color from March through June when the perennials and annualsbegin to take over.

Since we all struggle with squirrels, deer and other creatures munching on our newly planted beds, I’m going to give you some suggestions for some favorite bulbs that are critter-resistant.




Think about an under planting of snowdrops with your daffodils. Grape hyacinths are also charming with daffodils with the added benefit that their foliage reappears in the fall so you know where your clumps of daffodils are. Use the blue or pink Glory of the Snow (chionodoxa) as a lead in to hyacinths, think how nice this will be in a bed close to your front door.

Try naturalizing winter aconite (eranthis) in lawn or woodland areas.This small yellow bulb is one of the earliest and loves to multiply.



Fritallarias are big showy bulbs that come up mid spring but be careful where you plant them as they hate to be transplanted.

There’s enough sun for your bulbs before the trees leaf out so don’t be shy about planting them. Take a handful of bulbs and toss them down and plant where they fall for a more natural look. Don’t overlook the miniature daffodils some of which
have multiple stems, which give you more bang for your buck. Plant bulbs in drifts for a bold statement in your garden, if you have a small area
plant them in groups of three, five or seven. Even numbers in planting tend to look unbalanced.

Plant all bulbs to a depth of about three times their size and remember the pointy end goes up. If you plant tulips, they do benefit from a deeper
planting in cold areas. Try planting them down eight to ten inches. Some 5-10-5 fertilizer at planting time will give the fertilizer time to get to the root base as the bulbs wake up and fertilizing at flowering time will take care of them for years to come. Our local stores and garden centers have a great supply so let’s get out there and start digging.

The next meeting of the Garden Club will be held on September 11th. Please note this is a change from the previously published date of September 4. It will be a picnic held at the home of Anna Johnson where we can celebrate our summer success and look forward to fall plants and our winter program. Michelle Acquaro, Janice Taylor and Anna Johnson will be our hostesses.