The bulbs are here!  The bulbs are here!  I get so excited each fall with the promise of spring.  The cheerfulness of the daffodil, the elegance of the tulip and the fragrance of the hyacinth await inside an unassuming brown bulb.  I can't wait to select from the new and tried and true, and then plant.

                One of the favorite things I've done in my yard is planting bulbs under or around my perennials that die down in the winter and shrubs that lose their leaves.  So in February there are Vanguard Crocus, with large lavender flowers blooming through my sandwort.  Under the Styrax and Japanese Maple, the windflowers (Anemone blanda) blossom in late April.  And my red Pretty Woman tulips stand out in front of the still bare Hydrangeas.

                Also, I enjoy the fall blooming bulbs that poke their heads out of the ground in September and October, without leaves.  That's where some get their common names like Naked ladies (Amaryllis belladonna).  If you want to grow your own Saffron, plant Crocus sativus.  The spice is the stigma of the flower.  It blooms late in the fall.

                Do you have deer in your neighborhood?  There are a number of bulbs that deer generally avoid: Daffodils, hyacinths, alliums, muscari, fritillaria, winter aconite, spring star-flowers, squill and snowdrops.

BULB BASICS

                Bulbs prefer a well-drained soil in full to part sun (there are a few that tolerate more shade).  If you have our typical clay soil, work organic matter (but not fresh manure) into the soil where you are planting and make sure there is no standing water  in winter.  If your soil is a good texture just loosen it prior to planting.  Work a bulb fertilizer into the soil.  Bulbs are great in pots, too.  Use a good quality potting soil and a pot with drain holes.

                Plant enough to make a statement.  Plant bulbs in clumps or drifts.  You need a minimum of 5 tulips, daffodils or hyacinths and 10-20 of smaller bulbs.  If you are planting in a long row, don't plant in a single line.  It should be several bulbs wide for best show.

                The packages usually have good planting depth instructions but a good rule of thumb is planting depth is 3 times the diameter of the bulb.  Place the bulb in the hole, pointed end up.  (In the case of Anemones, soaking them in water overnight, which also helps them grow, may make it easier to tell which end is up.  If you still can't tell, you can plant them sideways.) Tulips and daffodils have a rounded side and a flatter side.  Place the rounded side facing the front of the bed.  Fill the hole with soil.  Water.

                When the bulbs come up in the spring, fertilize again.  If the weather is dry, water the bulbs during their growing season.  After the blooms are faded, but before a seed head forms, cut the flower stems off.  Leave the foliage to die back naturally.

                If you have other questions or want more details on specific varieties, check out www.simplepleasure.com and their garden guide.  It contains a lot of great information.