Happy October! It’s time to start preparing your garden for winter, and plant your spring-blooming bulbs. We have a few simple tips and guidelines for you to follow so you’ll have a beautiful and colorful garden next spring!

Tips for Planting Spring Bulbs

You want to plant the bulbs after the temperature starts to cool, and about 6 weeks before it’s cold enough to cause the ground to freeze. Generally, when the air temperature reaches 40-50 degrees at night, that’s a good time to plant your bulbs. In our area, that usually means October!

Prep your garden area by loosening the soil. If you’re working in a space where you haven’t gardened before, think about adding some new soil or compost to add nutrients.

Check the labels on your bulbs to find out how deep you should bury them. In general, larger bulbs should be planted 8-9” down, and smaller bulbs 5-6” down. Make sure you plant the bulb right-side up – in general this means pointy side up or roots side down.

Water them after planting, and every so often until winter hits and the rain, sleet and snow will take care of that for you.

If you’re reading this and it’s already gotten cold and frosty outside, you may be wondering if you’ve missed the bulb planting season. Give it a try! Bulbs won’t survive the winter outside the ground, so plant them anyway and give them a chance to bloom.

Come into the garden center with any questions you have about planting bulbs, and to purchase bulbs to put in your garden! We’re happy to help you with anything you need to make your garden great.

Following these tips will help yield a beautiful crop of spring bulbs that will fill your garden with amazing color.

Happy planting!