While spring gardening we should also start thinking about autumn. I love this time of year because of the spring bulbs that send out their shoots and flowers to signal that winter is almost over.
Occasionally after the flowers are gone, I dig up and transplant the bulbs with their foliage in bare spots where they can add color. More often, though, in the fall, I plant more bulbs and dig up and divide old clumps to eliminate overcrowding while getting free bulbs for other parts of my gardens.
I can remember where some of the bulbs I’ve had for years are planted, but there are still many more that I can’t remember. The result is that I am pleasantly surprised when I see new shoots sprouting from the ground in unexpected places. It’s like finding a $20 bill on the ground only it happens several times every spring.
If you buy flowering bulbs in early, mid and late spring, you can have flowers from about January to May and into June. Now is the time to start recording where you have spring flowers so you can start filling in the blanks.
Almost everyone has a better memory than me. But even those of you with excellent memories will likely be challenged this fall to remember your spring flowers—where, what kind and color. Most of the traces of spring flowering flowers from the bulbs have completely disappeared from mid-summer to the last, their places taken by annuals or perennials. And where do you need more?
