The fresh white blooms of summer snowflake are a charming addition to any garden. Photo: Michelle Gervais
Spring-flowering bulbs are still readily available in November, and this is a great time to plant them in our region. Daffodils, tulips, summer snowflakes, and Spanish bluebells all need as much chilling as they can get in this part of the country, so planting them early is essential for spring flowers. Plant bulbs with a nice scoop of compost to help them make roots while the ground is still warm. With new roots in place, they will be ready to collect chill hours when the temperatures drop into the 40s.
Early-blooming daffodils (Narcissus spp. and cvs., Zones 3–8) are a great choice for Southern gardens. The window between early-blooming daffodils and everything else blooming can be short, so late-season daffodil flowers are often lost in the spring rush of everything else flowering. Here are a few of our favorite early bloomers.
‘February Gold’ daffodil is reliably the first to bloom in our garden. Midsize yellow trumpet daffodils arise in showy clusters that grow 14 to 16 inches tall. Photo: courtesy of Meneerke bloem via Wikimedia Commons‘Erlicheer’ bears 6 to 12 showy double flowers per stem and has an amazing fragrance. Photo: Shelley Powell‘Twinkling Stars’ produces good-sized bunches tiny, fragrant jonquil flowers. It grows 8 to 12 inches tall and blooms for a long time. Photo: Shelley Powell
‘Ice Follies’ is a large white daffodil with a yellow flat cup. It gets about 18 inches tall and is a great grower and a reliable bloomer. Photo: Steve Aitken
While typical tulips require some chilling and finagling to bloom in the South, many of the species tulips are reliable perennials here. These midspring bloomers may be smaller than traditional tulips, but they are charming and showy. Make sure they have plenty of sun and good drainage.
‘Lady Jane’ lady tulip (Tulipa clusiana ‘Lady Jane’, Zones 3–7) has white petals that are colored pink on the outside. It grows about a foot tall and blooms over a period of two or three weeks. Photo: Steve Aitken
Florentine tulip (Tulipa sylvestris, Zones 3–8) is a bright yellow tulip that usually grows about 10 inches tall. It spreads by underground stolons to form a beautiful, long-lived colony. Make sure it gets lots of sun and excellent drainage. Photo: courtesy of Agnieszka Kwiecień via Wikimedia Commons
Summer snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum and cvs., Zones 4–8) are the South’s version of snowdrops (Galanthus spp. and cvs., Zones 3–7), which refuse to bloom here. Leucojum begin blooming early and keep flowering. They occasionally still have flowers in late April. Often found at old home sites, these survivors form large clumps over time. Photo: Shelley Powell
Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica, Zones 3–8) bloom a little later in spring. They form large clumps of blue, white, or pink flowers that last for two to three weeks. They are less heat sensitive than English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Zones 5–8), with foliage that persists into the summer. They are surprisingly drought tolerant and will even flower in some shade. Photo: Steve Aitken
Time to get planting! Remember, it never hurts to try something out even if “it won’t grow here.” Microclimates are a thing, and most bulbs are a bargain. There are so many great spring-flowering bulbs, you might never run out of new varieties to try.
—Jason and Shelley Powell own and manage Petals from the Past, a garden center in Jemison, Alabama.
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Ashman Garden Cultivator (1Pack)
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Solid Build—The Ashman Garden Cultivator/Tiller is strong in construction so that it can withstand heavy work in the garden. The blade and the shaft are coupled well for deep digging and uprooting the soil from the depths. It serves the purpose of cultivation very well. Create a blooming crop and watch it blossom and reap the benefits. Sharpened Fine piercing Blade—The blades are razor sharp and are made to pierce into any kind of soil and to serve digging, loosening soil, and weeding. The blades are rust-proof and have chip-resistant coating enhancing durability. Use it to control weeds, bury crop residue in the soil, and for preparing a proper seed bed.
High-Quality Design—The thoughtful design incorporated to shape the blades in L shape helps dig deep into the soil and rip it from beneath for cultivation. This helps a lot when weeding. Dig well and plant well. The handle is made to fit in the hand well and can be held tightly to apply push and pull forces effectively. Practical Utility—The garden cultivator is made with “practical utility” as the core of its purpose. It serves all the necessary purposes when gardening. Helps mix soil, which will loosen it up, providing more nutrients for the crops.
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This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features:
· Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil
· Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds
· Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when
· Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening
· Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting
· Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.
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