Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! There is still time to plant some spring flowering bulbs. You can plant spring-blooming bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, crocus, and hyacinth when ground temperatures drop to around 50-55 degrees F or lower (but not freezing), and continue planting up till a couple weeks before the ground freezes.

Spring flowering bulbs can add gorgeous early color to raised beds and other areas around the home in early spring. Crocus, tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils are a versatile group of plants and there is a type for any location. Spring flowering bulbs need time to develop a root system before winter sets in. You should wait until the soil temperature falls below 60 degrees F before planting the bulbs, typically late September-November.

Attractive mass plantings may be made in solid beds, to be followed in June by annuals. Groupings may be spotted about in a perennial border or rock garden. Bulbs are attractive along paths and walks, or planted around pools, or placed in front of foundation plantings around the home.

Well drained soils are essential for spring flowering bulbs to prevent root rot. They will also benefit from adding organic matter to the soil such as compost or well-rotted manure.

When we discuss bulbs, we are also including other bulb-like structures such as corms, tubers, tuberous roots and stems, and rhizomes. A bulb is a specialized underground organ consisting of a short, fleshy, usually vertical stem axis bearing at the top a growing point or a flower bud enclosed by thick, fleshy scales.

Daffodils, tulips, and the lily are true bulbs. Crocus and gladiolus are corms, the swollen base of a stem axis enclosed by dry, scale-like leaves.

There are many spring flowering bulbs to choose from to enjoy an explosion of color in early spring. The tulip is considered by many the premier spring bulb. More than 4,000 varieties are in existence.

Virtually all colors are represented and most tulips also make excellent cut flowers. Darwin hybrid tulips, generally the longest blooming, are valued for their large, brightly colored blossoms in red, pink, orange, yellow and white and grow to 30 inches tall.

Hyacinths are popular for their spring flower spikes with colors ranging from white to pink, red and purple. They work well as a border plant intermixed with other spring flowers and usually grow 6 to 10 inches tall. They usually start to lose vigor after three to four years and should be replanted.

Crocuses offer an early spring surprise because they are among the first flowers to bloom. They often actually push up through the snow. Flowers only reach 3 to 4 inches tall and come in shades of pink, white, yellow and lavender-purple. They are best planted in large groupings instead of individually.

Daffodils are an excellent bulb choice because they are deer resistant. They are long lived and should be divided every three to four years. Yellow is the most common color, but cultivars are available in creamy white and yellow orange, and newer white varieties have pink fringes. Some cultivars grow from 6 to 12 inches.

Alliums (in onion family) perform well but are slightly less common. Blossoms are unique and are sometimes referred to as the spiky ball flower or fireworks flower. Colors include white, red, pink and purple. Flower height ranges from six inches to almost three feet. The largest cultivars are showy and are often used individually as a springtime flowerbed focal point.

Fritillaries, also called checkered lilies, are less common but add beauty to the landscape. Known for having an upside down flower, the color is usually white or light purple. The tallest cultivars are used as focal points just as larger alliums are. Smaller types will naturalize in drier areas.

When purchasing bulbs, buy only top quality bulbs that are large, firm, and of good color. Cheap bulbs will only produce poor, or sometimes even no, flowers. Choose a site that is well-drained and receives at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. If the soil is poorly drained, consider raised beds.

To prepare planting beds, dig up 6 to 8 inches of soil. Add peat moss or other organic matter, then mix in fertilizer containing phosphorus such as rock phosphate, superphosphate, or special bulb fertilizer.

Choose your bulbs on the basis of color and flower size for specific purposes. For example, small ones create a natural look and large ones stand out as specimen plants. The most reliable tulips are the Darwin hybrids and species tulips such as Linifolia and Tarda. These tulips tend to live much longer and are truly perennials rather than many of the other varieties that will live for a few years and then die off.

Bulbs often look best planted in groups or clumps rather than in rows. For a nice show of color, plant bulbs in front of evergreen shrubs or among perennials and other flowering shrubs. Formal tulips look best planted in beds in symmetrical arrangements while daffodils should be planted in “naturalized” or informal plantings.

Plant bulbs upright, pointed ends up, at the recommended depth. As a rule of thumb, bulbs should be planted three times as deep as the bulb’s greatest dimension. Use a shovel, trowel, or bulb planter, and space bulbs according to size. Large bulbs such as tulips and daffodils should be placed 4 to 6 inches apart. Smaller bulbs such as crocus, snowdrops, and squill should be placed 1 to 2 inches apart.

Experimentation has proven that fertilizer added to the soil before the bulbs are planted increases growth. The improvement in growth is not evident until the second year when the bulbs that were fertilized at planting maintain vigorous growth and large flower size, while those not fertilized tend to become smaller and poorer in quality. The best fertilizer is a complete commercial one such as 10-10-10.

When plants emerge in spring, fertilize lightly with bulb fertilizer at least two inches from the plant. Once flowers fade, use scissors or clippers to remove the flower parts and stem before the plant produces seed pods.

However, let the leaves remain until they have turned yellow and died down, so the bulbs get plenty of nourishment for the following spring’s display. Old established clumps might not produce flowers because they are overgrown and the bulbs have become too crowded. You may correct this by digging, separating, then resetting the bulbs.

This will be my last column for 2024. I enjoy sharing research-based Extension knowledge to everyone in the Mid-Ohio Valley. I hope you all enjoyed reading the Backyard Gardener and applied some of the information to your home landscape and garden. See you next year!

Contact me at the Wood County WVU Extension Office 304-424-1960 or e-mail me at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu with questions. Good Luck and Happy Gardening!