Hi, guys!
It’s still prime bulb-planting time here in New York. And wherever you are, you can continue to get them into the ground until the ground won’t let you. That is, as long as the soil is soft enough to dig, you can continue to plant bulbs.
And that’s good news because I bought a bunch of hyacinth and daffodil bulbs about a month ago but haven’t been able to find the time to plant them. I’m hoping to take care of that today, as long as the downpour isn’t torrential.
When planting bulbs, it’s best to avoid the single-file method. A row of single tulips, for instance, looks sparse. For a full bulb garden — or one that blooms continuously from early spring to early summer, consider the “lasagna method.”
Different bulbs need to be planted at different depths, which are determined by their sizes. For instance, larger bulbs like daffodils must be planted more deeply than smaller ones, like crocuses. And not all bulbs bloom at the same time. Some, like crocus, Chionodoxa and Scilla are among the first to bloom; daffodils, tulips and hyacinths tend to come next (with variations among species) and alliums, Dutch iris and others pull up the rear, blooming straight into summer.
But that doesn’t mean you need to create separate beds — or even separate rows — for each type of bulb. No, you can layer bulbs on top of bulbs, just as you might layer sheets of pasta, tomato sauce, ricotta and mozzarella for lasagna. This way, when the early bulbs have done their jobs, the mid-season bloomers fill in to take their places in the same footprint.
If you’re starting a bed from scratch, which is easiest (but, alas, not the situation most of us will find ourselves in), you can simply dig up the whole area to the required depth of the largest bulbs. Arrange them in the hole, adhering to the spacing directions on the package. Cover with soil, top with the next-sized smaller bulbs (confirm their depth requirements) and top with more soil. Repeat with even smaller bulbs (with shallower needs) and repeat until you approach ground level. Top with more soil, tamp it down a bit and water well.
If you’re working bulbs into an existing garden, use your tool of choice to reach the soil depth of the largest bulbs. You can use a hollow bulb planter, an ordinary hand-held spade, an augur drill attachment or — one of my tools of choice — a dibble or a hori-hori knife.
If using a dibble or hori-hori, just plunge it into the ground to the depth marked along its length and wiggle it forcefully from side to side to open a vertical tunnel in the soil, then drop a bulb in. Cover it with soil and add another, smaller bulb and repeat. Then do it again a few inches away. You’ll have to work around existing plants, of course, but remember to plant in meandering swaths, or drifts, that ribbon through the garden space rather than in uninteresting straight rows.
Be sure to include early-, mid- and late-blooming bulbs in your lasagna and you’ll be rewarded with nonstop color from as early as February through June.
If you’re doing some holiday shopping today, remember my 2022 Day-by-Day Gardening Calendar will make all the gardeners on your list very happy this year!
Here's where to find them on Long Island (they’re also available via the link above for those not near one of these great retailers):
Bay Nursery (80 Montauk Hwy, East Moriches)
Bayport Flower Houses (940 Montauk Hwy., Bayport)
Chick’s Southold Agway, 1705 Youngs Ave., Southold
Fantastic Gardens (67 Avery Ave., Patchogue)
Gavin’s Treasures (333 Main St., Center Moriches)
Giordano’s Country Garden (295 Glen Cove Ave, Sea Cliff)
Glen Head Pharmacy & Gift Shop (699 Glen Cove Ave, Glen Head)
Jones Drug Store and Gift Shop (100 Main St., Northport)
King Kullen stores in Bay Shore, Bethpage, Bridgehampton, Garden City Park, Huntington, Island Park, Massapequa Park, St. James, Wading River and Wantagh
Main Street Nursery (475 West Main St., Huntington)
Prianti Farms (47 E. Deer Park Rd, Dix Hills)
SouthShore Mailroom (903 Montauk Hwy., Copiague)
ThredNY (7 Village Green, Patchogue)
Van Bourgondien Nursery (833 Deer Park Ave. Dix Hills
Wild by Nature Markets in Hampton Bays, Huntington, Oceanside, Setauket and West Islip)
💡 If you do one thing this week…
As long as the temperature is above 40 degrees, apply an anti-desiccant to protect broadleaf evergreens, like rhododendrons, from winter dehydration.
📬 Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: You have mentioned rose "whips" a couple of times in relation to pruning. Advice has been to hold off on pruning roses except that it's OK to cut back "whips." I don't know what rose "whips" are. How do they differ from canes? — Ann Terry
DEAR ANN: You are correct in that whips are types of canes, and they get their name from the way they, well, whip around over winter.
You know how sometimes a few rose canes will grow extra long and spindly — out of proportion to the rest of the plant? Those are the whips. Left alone, they will flail (whip!) around in the wind. Sometimes they break or rip off, which damages the plant, and sometimes all that whipping lifts the roots out of the ground (this occurrence is often referred to as “wind rock.”)
Best to cut them off at the end of the growing season to avoid problems.
👏 Sunday shoutout
Bert Spitz shares this photo of the “Spitz family garden” in East Norwich, NY. This is one of the happiest garden photos I’ve seen in a long time — and it’s just what we need on a dreary day!
Until next week, stay safe. Be well. And always keep your mind in the dirt. —Jessica
📧 Send me your feedback!
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along — as well as any topics you’d like to see covered and questions you’d like answered in the Ask Jessica section.
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