Is There Still Time to Plant Bulbs?

Relax. You still have time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. As long as the ground isn’t frozen, you’re good to go. And although it varies by a few weeks here and there, look at Thanksgiving weekend as the bulb-planting deadline for the Midwest. Whether you’re going for a wide swathe of tulips or a naturalized look, all the bulbs you’ll need are available now—from online or catalog mail-order specialists, garden centers, nurseries, and even supermarkets.

Spring-blooming bulbs are the best gardener’s gifts because, no matter how well we mark them, their arrival always comes as a surprise. Even their timing is anyone’s guess. I’ve had the same variety of crocus start blooming as early as March 1 and as late as March 31. Add to that their undemanding nature, and we should be wondering why we haven’t planted more.

Planting bulbs takes commitment. It’s the time of year when gardens are filled with asters, mums, and the first hint of fall color. We also have overgrown annuals, browned coneflower heads, and tired petunias. I look around for lone perennials, or ornamental trees that would benefit from a carpet of spring color.

Think Variety

For a nice mix of bloomers, think beyond the standards. Anemone blanda comes in pink, blue and white, and makes the perfect ring around the taller posies. They like full sun and bloom with late blooming Hyacinths and mid-season Tulips.

Two early, pale blue, ground-brighteners that are inexpensive and easy are Puschkinia and Scilla. Plant plenty with perennials that like a little shade; they bloom before the trees leaf out, giving them plenty of sun when they need it. Scilla appears first, and within a week, Puschkinia begins to bloom.

Muscari, or grape hyacinth, blooms a bit later in the season than all but the latest daffodils and comes mostly in shades of blue, but they are also available in white or pink. Muscari ‘Superstar’ (4” tall) looks great with Tulip ‘Exotic Emperor’ (16”-24”), both of which bloom around mid-spring.

The mid-season Tulip ‘Analita’, with its petals of red and lemon-yellow, adds some punch to any mid-season Daffodil, as they’ll bloom together from mid to late April.