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(eg. spring planting, landscape design)

 

Refrigerate Bulbs: If you bought your flower bulbs earlier in the season, refrigerating tulips and other spring flowering bulbs will simulate a longer winter season for the bulbs. Tulips and certain other bulbs, such as hyacinths and daffodils, need an extended period of cold in order to form their flowers. Place your bulbs in a paper or mesh bag in the crisper compartment of your refrigerator. Never store bulbs in plastic bags because moisture can collect inside the bags and cause the bulbs to rot. For best results, plant spring flowering bulbs in the ground from November until late December.

 

Planting Tips: Bulbs are easy to grow. When planting bulbs, be sure to choose an area that has good water drainage. Bulbs tend to grow in almost any kind of garden soil, but for best results, amend our heavy clay soil. Break up the clay soil in the planting site to a depth of six to eight inches and mix it with plenty of organic matter such as compost or soil conditioner. Bone meal or a specialty bulb fertilizer may also be added, according to package directions. Whenever possible, plant bulbs in an area protected from brisk spring winds that might damage the blooms. Follow the planting instructions on the bulb package. Different bulbs require different planting depths and spacing. The rule of thumb is to plant bulbs at a depth that is twice the height of the bulb. Keep in mind that changeable weather patterns can effect blooming time. Warm weather encourages early blooms. Colder weather may delay the blooming period. Don’t cut off the leaves of the bulbs after blooming is finished. Let the leaves wither and die naturally. This will allow the bulb underground to store food for the next blooming season through photosynthesis.  

Do Bulbs Return Year After Year? Some do, some don’t. Some bulbs, like daffodils, will return for several seasons. Others, like tulips, are short-lived and bloom for only one season in the southeast, as a general rule. Climate plays an important role. For successful results, select bulbs that originated in a region with a similar climate zone.

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Enjoying the colorful leaves while they are still on the trees is one thing. But what should you do with the mountains of leaves that fall in your yard? Rake them up or use a leaf blower before they have a chance to accumulate.  Raking is more that just grooming your yard.  It is an important gardening function.  If left on your lawn, a mat of fallen leaves prevents sunlight from reaching the grass and hinders proper air circulation.  Remove the leaf cover or it can cause your lawn, especially a newly seeded lawn, to die.

 

Fallen leaves can also cause harm to certain shrubs.  Azaleas can develop a disease called "crown rot" if leaves and debris are allowed to settle inside the structure of the plant.  Junipers also tend to turn brown if leaves are allowed to lie on top of the foliage for several weeks.

 

Put the leaves you have raked to good use. They make excellent mulch for your planting areas. Take your cue from Mother Nature. She drops the leaves from the trees every fall, providing natural mulch for the plants in the forests. The effect is the same in your landscape. In the fall and winter, a two to three inch layer of mulch will help to protect plant roots from temperature extremes and also helps to retain moisture in the soil.

 

Composting is another way that you can convert your leaves into a useful gardening substance. Compost is made up of decomposed woody or herbaceous materials such as pine straw, leaves, grass clippings, shrub trimmings, vegetable refuse and brush. Not only does composting reduce landfill waste, it produces a valuable organic soil amendment. When mixed in with the clay, compost can improve the condition and consistency of your soil.