If you love beautiful, colorful spring flowers, the right time to plant bulbs is now (fall).
A yard full of gorgeous, happy flowers is very accessible for springtime, but planning ahead is important. If you live in the southern part of the United States, autumn can be the ideal time to plant bulbs. Since bulbs will remain underground through winter, they stay safe and warm, protected from frost, chill, and the inclement weather that accompanies the chilliest of seasons.
Follow these fall bulb planting tips to prepare for a spring of beautiful, vibrant flowers.
- Consult the experts. Before you get started, talk through your potential bulb-planting plan with your local landscaping experts like the team at Heffner Landscaping. We can do an assessment of your lawn, and ask all the right questions to determine what kinds of flowers you are interested in, what colors would enhance the beauty of your property, where flowers would look best with existing features, and what spots in your yard receive optimal levels of sunlight, drainage, and visibility. If you’re not sure what kind of flowers you’re interested in, that’s okay, too! Our team can assess your entire lawn and garden, and recommend bulbs that would look the best and bring out the best in your yard.
- Select high-quality bulbs. When you work with professionals, they will make sure that the bulbs that go in your yard are the highest quality. If you elect to order them yourself, do your research first. There is nothing worse than ordering cheap bulbs from a non-repudiable place, and then losing money in the long run when they never come up! Heffner Landscaping partners with only the best local vendors, and our trained experts know how to select bulbs that are healthy and strong. When in doubt about how to select bulbs, refer back to tip number one and consult the experts!
- Stay in the sun. As you’re developing your flower plan and selecting quality bulbs, remember that bulbs need and love the sun. Think about what your yard will look like in the spring when the bulbs begin to pop through the soil. Most likely your deciduous trees will not have full leaves in the early spring, as they’re just coming back to life, too, so planting bulbs like tulips around your trees tends to work well. Just make sure wherever you do plant that there are not any obstacles to direct sunlight like evergreen trees, hills, walls, or buildings that cast long shadows or shade.
- Plant at just the right time. Every climate zone is slightly different. Even across one singular state or region, there can be several climate zones depending on proximity to the coast, altitude, and a multitude of other factors. Typically bulbs shouldn’t be planted too early, or you’ll risk losing them to disease or fungus. Planting them too late results in them not being insulated properly, and you could lose them to the changing weather and plunging temperatures. A safe rule is to plant bulbs about six weeks before a deep frost hits your region, when nighttime temperatures range between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit; that is around mid-autumn.
Fall is upon us. Schedule your bulb consultation now and get started down the path to a beautiful yard of flowers waiting for you in the spring!
Four Tips for Spring Bulbs in the Autumn