Hill Gardens of Maine - Spring Bulbs in the Winter Home

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"Spring Bulbs" - In The Winter Home
by Fred Davis, MG, Hill Gardens of Maine (To view previous articles, click: Archives)

Welcome through Fred's Garden Gate! Late September. Bulbs are now showing up in garden centers, some nurseries and many of the crowded and noisy big-box stores which surround us. The normal plan is to plant them in the garden during Fall where they will rest quietly until Spring thaw. . .then almost literally explode in a brilliant display of color.

If you’re the type of person who enjoys the beauty of blossoming flowers in your home—especially during the dark and oftentimes monotonous winter months—there’s really no reason to wait for spring to enjoy daffodils, tulips, crocuses and hyacinths. All that’s required are a few of your favorite bulbs, something to grow them in, some potting soil and a little prudent timing. The trick is to pot them up late in the fall, allow them to root slowly while keeping them relatively cool, then warm them up just in time to brighten even the darkest days of Winter. Here’s what you do:

First, select a container with a drainage hole and half-fill it with some all-purpose potting soil. Mix about a level tablespoonful of bulb fertilizer (commonly called "bulb-starter" in stores) into the soil and position several bulbs so there is at least two inches of soil beneath but with their tops just at the surface when the pot is filled. Don’t crowd your bulbs so they actually touch each other, and avoid shoving or pressing the bulbs into the soil—pushing them in compacts the soil below and makes it difficult for roots to penetrate to where the food is. Moisten. . .but don’t saturate.

Now place the pot in a cool spot while rooting takes place. A protected porch, garage or chilly corner of a basement should provide the ideal rooting temperature of between 35° and about 50° (F). The bottom shelf in a home refrigerator also works well. It usually takes eleven or twelve weeks at that temperature range for roots to fully develop. When new shoots (leaves) reach three or four inches tall, bring them into the light and warmth, and they’ll produce buds and flowers within another three weeks. You’ll want to keep a close watch on moisture. Give them all the water they need but don’t allow them to remain constantly saturated.

Knowing that a total of about 14 or 15 weeks is required to bring bulbs into color during the winter, plan ahead and space the actual planting of several pots of bulbs about two weeks apart (this is an opportunity to use a little of the mathematics you might have absorbed in grade school). Begin the first pot now; that should produce flowers just after Christmas. In two weeks, plant another pot to bloom during mid-January. A third planted 14 days later gets you flowers on February 1^st. You get the point.

Bulbs will store cool and dry practically all winter and won’t develop roots until actually planted and watered.

Here’s a tip: purchase a few of the very first bulbs you see in stores and plant half of them right away, and the other half in two weeks. Two or three weeks from now, most stores will be anxious to unload what’s left of their bulb displays and will put them on sale at close to 50% off. There may not be many gigantic bulbs left that late in the season. . .but the price is right.

So there you have it. Gorgeous Spring color in your home right through January, February and most of March. And don’t be timid and select only daffodils. Go for the tulips, narcissus, crocuses and hyacinths, too. As you can see, there’s really no reason to hang up your green thumb for the winter.

One parting thought: carefully-timed plantings of bulbs would make wonderful—and greatly appreciated—gifts for friends or relatives, or for that special person who loves flowers but doesn’t get out much any more. Now your green thumb has become a warm and thoughtful bright spot in the community!

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