When I was a kid, I kind of dreaded the 4th of July.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love fireworks, barbeques, parades and consider myself to be pretty darn patriotic, but the 4th meant that summer was almost over.  Sure enough, as an adult, the same holds true.  As soon as we hit the 4th of July, summer whizzes past at lighting speed, and here we are – the start of school.  Bustling sidewalks, overstuffed backpacks and dutiful students reunited with their friends.  Fall is in the air my friends, and if you haven’t guessed from my last few posts, it’s time to get busy.  Fall is the ideal time to plant, upgrade your landscapes, seed your damaged lawns, and get those bulbs in the ground that you’ve been storing in the basement.  Below are a few tips to get you started:

• Make sure the soil has been properly prepared before planting.
• Select a location that optimizes the bulbs light requirements (i.e. full sunshine, partial shade, full shade).  Because spring-flowering bulbs bloom before most trees and shrubs, they can be planted underneath them.
• Plant two to three times as deep as the bulb is tall.  Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths should be planted with the nose of the bulb pointing upwards and the root downwards.
• Water the bulbs immediately following planting to help rooting.  Fall planted bulbs must root before cold weather.  Do not overwater as this can cause bulb rot.
• Mulch the bulbs with two to three inches of mulch to protect from temperature fluctuation and maintain moisture.

I know it’s tough to think about Spring when we’re riding the last waves of Summer, but I promise you, if you do the preparation and planting now, you will be singing my praises come Spring, well, perhaps not singing my praises, but hopefully not cursing my name…

“Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed, and a giant oak in an acorn.”

 – William Arthur Ward

Best wishes,

Kim Sweeney