(ARA) - Every fall intrepid gardeners ponder
their properties and plan for the new year. Or, more likely, every spring
property owners drive about and jealously wonder why they did not plan
ahead for beautiful spring colors bursting from tulips, daffodils and
crocus. Well, now is the time to plan ahead and get your garden in shape.
If you want a high visual impact with early spring
colors, then Tim Schipper, a third generation flower bulb merchant,
advocates planting 100 tulips as the best way to go. His company, Colorblends,
may be one of the best-kept secrets in the gardening world. This family-owned
wholesaler has supplied top-quality flower bulbs to the trade for more
than 90 years. Now Colorblends accepts orders from private customers,
too.
“Planting for mass effect really draws the eye.
Tulips in large coordinated combinations put on a great show, ” says
Schipper. His company specializes in colorful combinations of tulips
and other flowering bulbs for spring displays called “Nature’s Fireworks.”
Though Colorblends minimum order quantities -- 100 tulips or 50 daffodils
-- may seem intimidating at first, Schipper emphasizes that planting
in quantity is both easy and rewarding. “One hundred tulips will fill
a 20-square-foot bed perfectly, so we¹re really talking about an area
almost anyone can dig up, plant and cover in 30 minutes. Don¹t bother
with those little single bulb planters. They’re tiring to use and they
don’t give a bulb the best start. You don’t even need to fertilize bulbs
the first season. All you need is a garden shovel or spade.” Tim’s method
is perfect for planting colorful spring beds that add landscape value
to your property or for cut flowers at only 30 cents a stem.
* Getting Ready
“Bulb size matters, says Schipper. “Larger, healthy
bulbs simply produce superior plants with more impressive flowers. Why
go through the task of planting and spoil the end result by using smaller
bulbs? The savings are negligible and the time and effort of digging
them in is probably more expensive than the bulbs themselves.” Fall
planting begins when soil temperatures start dropping to 55 to 60 degrees
Fahrenheit. Once you have your bulbs, unpack them immediately and store
in a dry, dark and cool place (50 to 65 degrees) until you are ready
to plant.
* Choosing Your Site
For best results pick a spot that gets at least
six hours of direct sunshine a day and has well drained soil. For 100
bulbs planted at the recommended five per square foot, you’ll need an
area of about 20 square feet. Dragging up your old math skills, you
may remember that the area of a square or rectangle is length times
width. So, for 100 bulbs you’ll need to mark out an area of say four
feet by five feet or maybe two feet by ten feet.
* Planting
As a general rule the planting depth (measured
from top of bulb to soil level) should be two to three times the greatest
diameter of the bulb. If your soil is very sandy, plant a bit deeper,
in heavy clay somewhat less deep. Keep in mind that given planting depths
are measured to the top of the bulb; thus plan to excavate the area
one to two inches deeper. The depth of planting will help to protect
the bulbs against frost, animals, and physical damage due to hoeing
and light cultivating. For 100 tulips the planting depth will be seven
inches to the base of the bulb.
For planting large quantities of bulbs in beds
or borders follow these directions.
* Dig out an area of 5 feet square, 7 inches
deep. Place the soil on a sheet of plywood or cardboard. (15 minutes).
* Place the bulbs evenly and position points
up. Some bulbs may end up sideways or upside down when covered. Don’t
worry -- they will grow properly thanks to geotropism: plants always
grow opposite gravity. (5 minutes).
* Slide half the soil from the plywood onto the
bulbs and tamp down lightly. If the soil is dry at the time, water thoroughly.
The water will wash the soil in around the bulbs eliminating air pockets
and will start the bulbs rooting. Finish covering the bulbs with the
remaining soil. (10 minutes)
Wash up and wait for spring! The lush beds of
flowers that spring up wherever you’ve planted this way will change
the way you feel about tulips and other spring bulbs forever.
You can find Colorblends on the web at www.colorblends.com
or call toll free (888) 847-8637.
Courtesy of ARA Content
