From Franklin County, PA Master Gardener Facebook Notes
It’s hard to imagine next spring but try to remember the one earlier this year. Arching forsythia branches covered with yellow flowers, full blooms of mountain laurel, chenille-like branches of flowers on the red bud trees and sweet smelling lilacs. But the first blooms foretelling spring are the blooms of bulbs - tiny snowdrops (Galanthus) and the bright yellows and purples of snow crocus (Crocus chrysanthus) here and there.
It’s time to plan your spring colors and the best bets
for bright colors and interesting shapes are bulbs. Planted in the fall they
will burst into color just when winter is beginning to fade.
Optimum planting time for spring flowers falls between
Sept. 15 and Nov. 30 in Pennsylvania. "It’s easy to plant spring flowers,
and …they last for years,” said Jim Sellmer, professor of horticulture in Penn
State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. As long as the ground is still soft
enough to dig in, bulbs can be planted anytime in the fall.
Look over your garden and landscape for areas that will
be bare in spring or areas that can use a pop of color. Don’t overlook shady
areas in the fall. Once the leaves are off the trees they may be a sunny space
in the spring. Remember that once the blooms have faded the foliage will still
be standing. Select a spot where mid- to late spring plants can camouflage the
foliage as it begins to fade.
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| Snow crocus (Crocus chrysanthus) |
He noted that bulbs “need good drainage and a high amount
of organic matter, so if your soil is mostly sand or clay, mix in peat moss or
compost until organic matter is about 25 percent of volume.”
Both Sellmer and Berghage suggest using hardware cloth
(chicken wire) when planting if rodents such as chipmunks and squirrels are a
problem. You can surround the bulbs with a cage or spread the wire over the top
of the soil and cover with mulch.
Spring-flowering bulbs are available from garden centers
and catalogs from August to October. "They're easy to plant and live for
years," said Berghage. "Best of all, they start brightening the
landscape while it's still late winter."
The flowers of bulbs with their wide variety of bloom
times can provide a continuous show of color from February through early
summer. Early bloomers are Galanthus, or snow drops, which show up in late
January. A variety of crocuses start to appear in February and include large
flowered Dutch crocuses which can be seen with the star-shaped Glory of the
Snow (Chionodoxa) and the deep blue flowered Squill (Scilla).
In March and April look for Grecian windflowers (Anemone blanda) which look a bit like asters and come in purple, pink or white colors. A wide swath of grape hyacinth (Muscari) in dark or light blue colors can resemble a small streamlet and can highlight along a pathway or down a sloped area. Another favorite is Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulate), a 4-6” tall plant that blooms in early spring. Consider planting Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete" (Cyclamineus daffodil) dwarf daffodils, too.
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| Tete-a-Tete daffodils |
There are many different types of tulips available from
tall to short, fringed and cupped, peony-flowering and double-flowering. They
are available in almost every color you can image, even striped. Although
called a Checkered Tulip the Fritillaria meleagris is a most unusual flower
with checkered petals.
Once the flowers bloom, Sellner notes, “It is important
to let the foliage die completely before you remove it so that it can gather
nutrients for growth during the next season.” He notes that once they have been
planted correctly they don’t require much attention.
Photos: Carol Kagan
~ Carol Kagan, Franklin County Master Gardener
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