A little birdie (my sis) has informed the director of R & J Landscape Design (me) that the The Charmed Garden director (me) needs to talk to IT (me) about the error the writer (me) has made in downloading the How To videos for planting bulbs. So after a meeting with all departments (a meeting attended by me, myself and I), the error has been fixed. So I urge you to click on the video links below to see how to successfully plant your bulbs. And yes you sure can still do that. You can do that up until the ground freezes, which it sure hasn’t here in in Oak Lawn. Tomorrow will be nearly 59. Craaaazeeee I tell you.
If you aren’t the Chef for your family and friends this Thanksgiving and really don’t want to battle crowds on Black Friday or Pre-Black Friday or Pre-Pre Black Friday sales, you can spend some zen time in the garden putting in spring bulbs. Oh Yes you can!!! Here in our neck of the woods, (South Suburban Chicagoland), the temps have been in the 60’s and even the 70’s, until this week. Last week we did have one day that was actually 72, and it was glorious. This week we’ve had our first frost. It is in the mid 40’s during the day and just a bit chilly at night. This means the ground is still warm enough to put in bulbs for those of us who have been too busy to do so up until now. That would include me.
Here are two short videos demonstrating how to plant Crocus and Daffodils. I bought a bag of each at Home Depot for half off, which is the upside of planting your bulbs this late. The downside is that there will be a few bulbs that are dried out and not usable. They’re easy to find. If they’re not firm, don’t plant them. Very simple. Also, quick tip, if you’re not sure how fertile your soil is, you can sprinkle some bone meal in the hole before placing your bulbs in it.
A couple of additional tips: Bulbs come in early, mid and late Spring, with each later bloom being taller and fuller. Early blooms are going to be smaller than later. So be sure to plant all three in your garden. You can even plant all three in the same hole. This way just as one bloom is finished, another will be just beginning. You will have color from March to May, just as the bushes and trees are greening up. Also, because trees are just twigs in the spring, you can plant the bulbs under the trees without worry of too much shade. In fact the Morton Arboretum is filled with Daffodils under its trees in the spring. It is an amazing, beautiful field of yellow.
So let me know how many hearty procrastinators are out there. Who ditched black Friday or just chose to spend a leisurely Saturday in the garden while others were fighting traffic.
