Late winter is a time of year when the landscape can look particularly bleak, with not much more to see than deciduous trees that have lost their leaves, raggedy looking perennials, ornamental grasses swaying brown in the wind, and just a few annuals that can survive the cold and wet weather. If you are lucky, a camellia or witchhazel might be blooming, adding some color to the yard.

Just when you think winter is going to last forever, you turn a corner and a patch of bright yellow daffodils appears! These late-winter-blooming flowers produce an impressive show in what can be an otherwise dismal environment—that seemingly endless stretch of time between the winter holiday’s bright decorations and spring’s annual rejuvenating return. Just the sight of these stirs the gardening bug in me—as soon as I see daffodils and catch the aromatic scent of hyacinths, I’m ready to pull the shovel out of the garage and dig.

Daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, tulips and many other not-so-familiar flowers that you’ll see blooming this time of year are grown from bulbs. So what is a bulb? Very simply, a bulb is merely a storage organ for food and water for a plant, usually located below or at planting level. The existence of these storage units allow this type of structure to survive heat, cold and drought while allowing growth and reproduction during optimal climatic times of the year. For the average gardener, the technical differences in these storage reservoirs—rhizomes, tubers, corms—are insignificant, so we call a great variety of plants “bulbs.” What is unique about bulbs, in contrast to many popular perennial plants, is that they are so easily handled, stored and shared, from neighbor to neighbor, state to state and country to country (think about tulips from Holland).

BULB 101
A trip to the local grocery or home center will provide you with pots of flowering bulbs for the home (and eventually, the garden), but planting this fall will reward you with masses of flowers in late winter and spring. Good planning and selection will give you weeks of new blooms, with a great variety of flowers and cultivars.

• You may notice bulbs labeled hardy, semi-hardy and tender. Under normal conditions, hardy bulbs are those that survive cold climates. Semi-hardy bulbs are those that are hardy in milder climates but not reliable in colder climates without protection. Tender bulbs do not tolerate freezing and can be left in the ground only in warm climates. Most spring-flowering bulbs are hardy.

• Spring-flowering bulbs consist largely of the so-called Dutch bulbs. Planted in the fall, they bloom the following spring; most spring-flowering bulbs are completely hardy in Georgia. Summer-flowering bulbs include hardy to tender bulbs that flower in summer; some summer-flowering bulbs continue to flower until frost. Fall-flowering bulbs, consisting largely of a few hardy bulbs, flower in late summer or early fall. The term winter-flowering generally refers to tender bulbs that are forced to bloom out-of-season indoors. A few bulbs bloom outdoors in very early spring and are sometimes called winter-flowering.

• Shelves full of spring-flowering bulbs will appear in late summer at nurseries and home centers. This is the best time to buy for a good variety of plants. Selecting high-quality spring-flowering bulbs is important because the flower bud has already developed before the bulb is sold. Size is important, too—generally, the larger the better. Select bulbs that are plump and firm. Small nicks and loose skin do not affect the quality. Beware of bargain bulbs that may be too small to flower. Bulbs are often categorized according to their hardiness, time of bloom, and size.

• If bulbs are bought before planting time, keep them in a cool, dry place (such as an unfinished part of the basement or the refrigerator). A temperature of 60°F to 65°F is ideal. Temperatures higher than 70°F will damage the flowers inside the bulbs.

• If you’re storing in a refrigerator, don’t store spring-flowering bulbs with fruit such as apples or pears, which produce ethylene gas. Store the bulbs in open trays rather than in paper or plastic bags for good air circulation.

• Many types of bulbs require a “chill” period—12 to 16 weeks of cold either in the ground or in a cool/refrigerated environment. Without this, the bulb will not flower successfully. Check with your bulb supplier to determine whether the bulbs you purchase have been precooled or whether you may need to give them a cold treatment.

• In order to develop a good root system and to satisfy their cold requirement, plant spring-flowering bulbs in the late fall. Generally, it is advisable to wait until the soil temperature is below 60°F at the optimal planting depth. For metro Atlanta (Zones 7 and 8), the best time to plant is November to early December. If you forget to plant the bulbs, it’s better to plant right away than to save for next fall’s planting.

• Consider light, temperature and soil texture when selecting a planting site. Bulbs should have 8 to 10 hours of daily sunlight, but don’t restrict planting to areas that receive full sun year-round. Many bulbs flower and produce foliage before deciduous trees leaf out in the spring, so keep this in mind when deciding where to plant. A few bulbs, such as daffodils, crocus, squill, and wood hyacinth will tolerate partial shade.

 Well-drained soil is important when planting, as most bulbs will not tolerate poor drainage. This is especially true for tulips and hyacinths, so you may want to consider planting them in raised beds. For maximum flowering, a pH level of 6.0-7.0 is desirable. Test your soil’s pH level, and amend as needed.

• The simplest method for planting bulbs is to dig individual planting holes. Loosen the soil below the depth that the bulb is to be planted. Add fertilizer (and lime if needed), and then cover with a layer of soil (bulbs should not contact fertilizers directly). Set the bulb upright in the planting hole and cover with amended soil.

• A better method for planting bulbs is to dig and remove the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches over the entire bed. Add fertilizer and organic matter to the backfill soil. In many situations, incorporating 30 to 50 percent, by volume, of pine bark or composted yard waste will greatly improve soil drainage.

• Incorporate fertilizer as recommended by a soil test report, or use 4 pounds of 8-8-8 or 3 pounds of 10-10-10 per 100 square feet. Additional phosphorus may be added if the soil test indicates a low level of this nutrient. If the pH level needs to be adjusted, apply lime.

• Fill the planting site with several inches of the prepared soil. Most small bulbs should be planted 5 inches deep, while large bulbs should be planted 8 inches deep. Spacing between small bulbs should be 1 to 2 inches and 4 to 6 inches for large bulbs.

• Cover the bulbs with amended soil, water to remove air pockets, and apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of loose mulch (pine straw is an excellent mulch for bulbs).

• Don’t be alarmed if a late cold snap arrives after plants have emerged from the ground. Cover them with a light layer of pine straw—this should be sufficient protection for the foliage and any buds that may have developed.

• Once flowers have faded, allow the foliage to die back before cutting away. The dying foliage feeds the bulb for next year’s flower (an exception to this is iris, which can be cut back after flowering).

• To hide unsightly foliage, plant bulbs amidst perennial plants and annual planting beds, where new growth/new plantings will minimize the dying foliage.

GEORGIA-FRIENDLY BULBS
While the tulip is universally regarded as the premier spring-flowering bulb, it requires a long “chill” period, which Atlanta’s temperate climate does not consistently provide. If you are stuck on tulips, look for varieties that are noted for their success in warmer climates, and be prepared to replant new tulip bulbs each summer for the following spring’s bright display.

The flowering bulbs listed below will give you a great variety of color, shape and height for next spring’s garden; mix it up and plant numerous varieties and species of these, and you’ll have flowers for as long as six weeks. Once you’ve seen how easy it is to grow these delightful plants, you’ll be ready to try your hand at summer- and fall-flowering bulbs, too!