fall bulbs

Have you planted your fall bulbs yet? We finished ours last weekend. They can be planted into late November for those of us in Zone 5 until the ground is frozen. Bulbs are another one of Mother Nature's gifts for the gardener. If we make time in the fall to dig some holes, we are rewarded with pretty blooms to brighten chilly spring days. 

Since we share our land with deer, rabbits and chipmunks, we must choose bulbs carefully. This year we added more daffodils to the woods edge on the east side of our property, some bearded iris and more allium to the back and front borders.

We have hundreds and hundreds of muscari (grape hyacinth) planted near the paths of our property. We always plant them in clumps, holes dug with 7 or so bulbs in each.

 No tulips for us, they are eaten the day their foliage pops though the soil by the deer. They also weaken over time as their roots reach further down into the soil so they really look best the first spring after being planted. We invest in deer proof daffodils instead. We cannot have enough daffodils. They are such a happy sight, full of promise for better weather ahead after our long winters. They look pretty sprinkled throughout the woods before the maples leaf out.

For bulb planting tips, visit Martha Stewart's  bulb planting 101.