bulbs – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

By Stacy Edwards, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer intern of Durham County

A close-up view of a vibrant burgundy tulip flower with fringed petals, set against a background of greenery and a gray building.

Close-up of a purple muscari flower with clusters of grape-like blooms against a dark background.

(Image credit: Melinda Heigel; Bff CC BY-SA 4.0)

If you need a little encouragement in the dark days of January and February, consider planting spring-flowering bulbs now! From the purple, grape-like clusters and green spikes of muscari, to the sunny blossoms of daffodils and brilliant colors of tulips, there is a bulb for everyone and every landscape…and even the indoors.

Soil and Bulbs

Bulbs like well-drained soil and a pH of 6-7. Heavy clay in our soils in the Piedmont region of Zone 8 are a blessing and a curse. On the plus side, it’s nutrient rich and provides stable footing for roots. But clay holds water and can cause bulbs to rot. Drainage is greatly improved by adding compost, soil conditioner, or pine bark mulch into the soil as bulbs are planted. And speaking of soil, now is a great time to have your soil tested to see if there are any nutrients lacking or other needs. In the absence of a soil test, consider applying a slow-release complete fertilizer into the soil at the time of planting by following the instructions on the label.¹

Sun Requirements and Bulbs

Most bulbs like at least 6 hours of sun. But even the shadiest gardens can be great sites for bulbs in the winter as the deciduous trees lose their leaves and allow the sun to get in. Consider the path of the sun as you pick your spot. Some areas that would normally receive full sun in the summer may receive less sun in the winter. Again, drainage and consideration of planting location will help bloom production.

Tips for Planting Bulbs

Generally, bulbs should be planted 3-4 times as deep as their width but follow directions on the package. For large bulbs, like the giant alliums, allow 3-6″ between bulbs. Smaller bulbs can be closer together – 1-2.” A Hori-Hori knife can be very useful, and many knives have rulers embedded on the blade for measuring planting depth. Of course, a small trowel or shovel can be used too. A good layer of 2-3″ of mulch on top of the soil after planting will protect the bulb from severe weather and helps lock moisture in the soil. Planting bulbs in mass clusters makes for a better, more dramatic show.

Orange and yellow tulips in a blue and white porcelain was used as cut flowers inside a home.

Three terracotta pots containing tulip bulbs with green shoots emerging from the soil, placed on a wooden surface.

Spring-flowering bulbs make excellent long-lasting cut flowers. While it’s common to force bulbs like paperwhites and amaryllis during the holiday season, other bulbs like tulips, though more tricky since pre-chilling is required, are also suitable candidates. (Image credit: Stacy Edwards; Melinda Heigel)

Enjoying Bulbs Indoors and Outdoors

Consider starting indoors right now by forcing bulbs to bloom, which is the process of expediting the plant’s normal bloom cycle. All bulbs can be forced into blooming. The spring varieties, such as crocus, snowdrops, daffodils, and hyacinths, require a chilling period of 12-18 weeks whereas amaryllis and paperwhites do not. This article contains more information on forcing bulbs.

Purple muscari plant in blooming with green foliage in the background. — **Early-spring blooms**

A vibrant display of white daffodils with orange centers blooming in a garden, surrounded by green foliage. — **Early-spring blooms**

Extend the spring season by keeping the bloom times of each type of bulb in mind when making selections. You can often find information on flowering times right on bulb packaging. (Image credit: Stacy Edwards; Melinda Heigel)

There is a wide selection of bulbs that grow well in central NC. The North Carolina State University Plant Toolbox has a list of tulip bulbs that consistently do well as well as more details. Consider planting a variety of bulbs so that blooming extends over a few months. In early spring muscari, crocus, hyacinths and anemone begin to pop up out of the ground, showing promise that spring is on its way.

Daffodils follow with tulips and lilies shortly thereafter. Allium giganteum is a personal favorite with clusters of tiny flowers in the shape of a giant lollipop. Bulbs can be sourced online or at your local garden center and even the big box stores. Look for bulbs that are large and firm, are free of blemishes, and have not begun to sprout.

A Little Houskeeping on Growing Bulbs

In our Zone 8 area, many bulbs are considered perennials and come back year after year, requiring very little maintenance. After you’ve enjoyed the brilliant display of flowers, cut the spent blossoms and leave the stems and leaves to fade on their own. The natural deterioration of the leaves allows the bulb to store energy for next year’s bloom. Some gardeners fold over the leaves or tie them in a knot close to the soil level to obscure the unattractive browning of the stems, but many plant experts caution against this. This practice can reduce the leaf area exposed to sunlight and the amount of energy (food) the plant can store. And some gardeners just keep adding more plants to distract the view.

Bulb planting is an easy process, and the small amount of work is rewarded by a brilliant and encouraging display of flowers in the early spring when it seems as though the gray days are never ending. Happy planting!

Notes

1–A complete fertilizer is one that contains all three of the primary plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, in that order. You will see that listed as three numbers separated by hyphens. An example of a complete fertilizer profile you would find on a bag of fertilizer is 10 – 10 – 10.

Resources and Additional Information

More on spring-flowering bulbs, including additional selection recommendations and care instructions: https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/spring-flowering-bulbs/

More on the blog about amaryllis bulbs, often forced indoors during the holidays:https://wp.me/p2nIr1-30g

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-6F4

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

While the Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) took a hit from all the rain, the blooms of the zinnia (Z. elegans) and gaillarda (G. pulchella) still delight with punches of color. Scene from the late-season and very soggy ACG. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel and Gary Crispell)

And suddenly it’s October. When and how did that happen? Although, I’m pretty sure I got here by boat. Hopefully, the three-month monsoon season is over, but we could still get another gift from the tropics. (Someone needs to do something about the butterflies in West Africa.)

The rain gauge indicated 12 inches for September. The last time I remember anywhere near that amount was in 1996, when our dear, yet very angry friend, Fran, visited for a harrowing overnight stay.

The Accidental Cottage Garden is bowed but not broken. Everything is beaten down and bent over. Kinda looks like myriad ground covers gone berserk. However, in the tangles, one can find an assortment of delightful blooms. Zinnias (Z. elegans), African marigolds (Tagetes erecta), mock vervain (Glandularia bipinnatifida), plucky gaillardia (G. pulchella), evening primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana), Autumn Joy sedum (S. ‘Herbstfreude’), hardy ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum), and two volunteer cosmos (C. bipinnata) are doing their best to overcome the odds and keep the neighbors smiling.

So, what’s going on in your garden? Perhaps you’ll find something useful or amusing (or amusingly useful) in here this month (or not). Either way, let’s garden.

LAWN CARE

Attempt to prevent leaf accumulation on lawns, especially newly seeded or overseeded ones. And be sure those receive adequate moisture. (Yeah, I know. Really?!?) About those leaves, please compost them or put them into a natural area. They do not belong in the landfill. Continue mowing cool-season grasses (tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) at 3 ½” to 4.”

FERTILIZING

Not much to see (or do) here, folks. Drop some fertilizer on the spring-flowering bulb beds. 10-10-10 or equivalent will do just fine. Work it into the soil where possible. Store any leftover fertilizer in sealed containers in a dry location until next season.

PLANTING

(Left to right) Pansies brighten up the shorter autumn days. Tulip and pansy pot planted in the fall. The pansies were joyous for 3 long seasons: fall, winter, as well as in the spring when the tulips also came into their own. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel and Marcia Kirinus)

“FALL IS FOR PLANTING,” repeated…again. Things planted now will have most of the winter to put down roots and get established so they’ll be ready for another Sonoran June. Consider planting a cover crop on any part of the veggie garden not growing a fall crop. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) or winter rye (Secale cereale) will keep the soil intact and add nutrients to it.

Plant spring-flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, narcissus, etc.) this month. Plant salad greens and short-season root crops (carrots, radishes) in a cold frame. Do something nice for yourself and plant pansies. A pot full of their smiling faces can do a lot to lift the gloom of a day when it’s 34 degrees and raining. Caveat: deer LOVE them.

PRUNING

Wait until it gets cold (post-killing frost) and intends to remain that way for a bit. The goal is to avoid any new growth attempting an emergence until spring. Cutting back everything in the perennial garden is something your grandmother did but is no longer considered “best practices.” Apparently, there are solitary native bees that lay eggs on or overwinter in the stems of said perennials. Your grandmother didn’t tell you because she didn’t know. Somebody with a great deal of intellect, curiosity, and, quite frankly, an amazing amount of time on their hands figured this out in the not-too-distant past (post-grandma period). So, DON’T cut back your perennials unless the HOA is fixin’ to put a lien on your house. Chances are an HOA wouldn’t let you plant perennials (aka, weeds) in your yard to begin with. They—the stems, not the HOA—are better left until spring. Root prune any trees or shrubs you plan on moving in the spring. Have you noticed that most of fall is spent preparing for spring? That’s what the plant kingdom does. Those of us in the animal world get ready for winter. Plants have their eyes on the future.

Close up of the rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), an example of a hollow-stemmed plant that provides valuable over-winter habitat for nesting insects. This photo shows the stems after cutting in the spring once insects may have emerged. Other plants with hollow stems include anise hyssop, bluestar, milkweed, tall tickseed, and pink muhly grass, among others. Pithy-stemmed plants like purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) provide habitat for some bees who use pith to build their nests. (Image credit: Debbie Roos)

SPRAYING

Most of the pesky little &*@$# have gone to sleep for the winter. There are two notable exceptions: lace bugs on azaleas (especially those in full or mostly sun) and scale on euonymus and camellias. Both can be treated with horticultural oil. It smothers the adults and their eggs.

Damage caused by azalea lace bug, Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott). (Image credit: James. L. Castner, University of Florida)

PROPAGATION

Some of you are starting plants from cuttings. Maybe even in a cold frame that doesn’t have veggies planted in it. Be sure to monitor it at least bi-weekly for health and vigor. Water as necessary.

Other amazingly fun stuff to fill whatever “perfect October days” we may be granted by whomever is in charge of such things:

Take soil samples while they are FREE through November. Sample collection boxes and instructions are available from the Durham County Extension office at 721 Foster St. or from the NCDOACS.

Repeating: compost any leaves you gather up. Sending them to the landfill is a definite no-no.

Cleanse the bird feeder(s), fill ‘em up, and put ‘em out. Sit back and watch. It’s therapeutic.

Prepare all your lawn and garden equipment for its long winter’s nap.

if you band your trees to mitigate the number of insect larvae that might feed on your trees in the summer (and whose digestive tracts are highly inefficient, causing copious quantities of worm feces to accumulate on whatever is under said trees—a friend told me about this), now is the time to do this (if you remember what “this” is after the mid-paragraph digression).

Sticky bands capture female moths who will begin crawling up tree trunks in the fall to mate and lay eggs that will hatch into the small caterpillars we call Cankerworms. In the spring, these hungry caterpillars emerge and eat the leaves of hardwood trees in urban areas and can be a threat to tree health and mortality. Some experts recommend waiting until all the leaves have fallen before banding. (Image credit: William A. Carothers, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org.)

For a glimpse of spring in the bleak midwinter, try forcing spring-flowering bulbs. Daffodils and narcissus are good candidates for this exercise. Plant the bulbs in pots early in October and put them in the refrigerator. This assumes that you have a huge refrigerator and no teenagers in the house. In 12 weeks (Happy New Year!), remove them and set them in a sunny window where you can watch them grow and bloom. Fun! Kids get a kick out of it.

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs forced for indoor bloom. (Image credit: University of Florida/IFAS Extension and Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Bask in the beauty of the season when the leaves show off their true colors without the chlorophyll mask they have worn all summer. We may have to do that close to home this year. The mountains are closed until further notice. Sad. It’s the beginning of fire pit season. ‘Nuff said. Enjoy it, y’all!

Resources and Additional Information