October is bulb planting month. As hard as it is to think ahead over the long winter to come, you’ll be glad you did in spring when you see the first shoots of the bulbs you plant now poking out of the soil.
Bulbs should be planted 2 ½ times as deep as they are tall. For example, if a bulb is an inch tall, dig the hole so that when the bulb is placed in the bottom, the top of the bulb is about 2 ½ inches from the soil line. Look carefully at the bulb to determine which end is up. There will be tiny roots or little knobby bumps at one end; the other end will be more pointy. The pointy end goes up. If you can’t tell which end is which, lay the bulb on its side in the hole and it will figure out for itself which way is up when it starts to grow.
There are many options for spring bulbs besides tulips, daffodils and crocuses.
Hyacinths are extremely fragrant spring flowers which come in white, pink, red, yellow, orange, blue, purple and every color in between. They are very formal looking and are good for the front of a border.
Grape Hyacinths, or Muscari, are a variation and resemble upside down clusters of grapes. They come in white, blue and purple and are good for naturalizing, for borders, or for highlighting other spring flowering bulbs.
The Wood Hyacinth, also called Spanish Bluebells, has clusters of delicate bell-shaped flowers in pink, blue and white. They are a little looser or less formal than a traditional hyacinth. Wood Hyacinths grow 8–12 inches tall and are excellent for borders, naturalizing and rock gardens.
Indian Hyacinths are American natives that have blue or violet flower spikes set with starry blossoms. They grow 12-24 inches tall and do well in moist, partially shaded locations making them ideal for naturalizing by ponds or in light woodlands.
Possibly the first bulbs to bloom in spring are Snowdrops. They sometimes appear even before the snow has melted. White butterfly-shaped blooms ignore the cold and nod on 4-6 inch stems.
Another early bloomer is Glory of the Snow. Sparkling sky blue flowers with white centers are produced in profusion in March and April, with 6-12 starry flowers to a stem. They multiply freely year after year. Glory of the Snow grows only 4-8 inches tall and does well in sun or partial shade.
If you miss the snow in late spring, plant Summer Snowflakes. These clump-forming plants produce a profusion of 12-20 inch stems that each bear several faintly chocolate-scented inch-long white bells accented with green tips. They should be planted in full sun or light shade.
Nothing compares to drifts of bright blue scilla for early spring color. They naturalize beautifully making them ideal for mass plantings and edgings. The foliage is grass-like and unobtrusive and they grow 6-8 inches tall.
Many of the above descriptions say the bulbs naturalize well. This means that they will divide and reproduce themselves and spread. Many people plant these bulbs right into their lawns as they flower before the grass needs cutting in the spring
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