When you’re blogging about gardening, there is often a tendency to
write about what you’re doing now. This means that we’re talking about new planting in the Spring, conserving water and weeding in the Summer, planting tulip bulbs in the Autumn, and cleaning up the yard in the Winter. While that stuff is all great, sometimes we just want to talk about what is actually going on in our gardens, especially what’s currently in bloom. When it comes down to it, gardening bloggers are gardeners first, and so we love to brag.
Winter is always tough on gardeners, as our supply of color in the garden is so much more limited than in the rest of the year. Fortunately for me, I live in Greenwood, South Carolina, and we get some great winter color down here. I’ve been enjoying my Helleborus niger, which has been giving me blooms for almost two weeks now. I still find myself envious, though, of my boss’s Camellias. He came into a meeting yesterday and announced that his wonderful hedge of Camellias is now in full bloom. My envy is not without product, though. I’ll be planting a small hedge of Camellia ‘Yuletide’ this Spring (Not, of course, because I want to
have earlier blooms than my boss next year. Well, not just because I want to beat out his Camellias.). Which, of course, brings me to the "what I’m doing" side
of things. If you want winter color, than now is the time to be planning what you’ll plant this spring and fall for next winter. It is far easier to plan for the current season, as you’re able to see the lines of your garden, the position of the sun, and all of those other things that go into great seasonal garden design. Of course, it’s not yet time to plant winter bloomers, such as Camellias or Helleborus, but if you plan now and order soon, you should be able to get them happily in the ground this spring to have maximum growth by next winter.
There would be no garden without perennial summer and spring bulbs. They provide most of the colors, textures, and fragrances which give gardens most of their allure. From spring to fall, these are your staples–just fill in along the way with a few annuals, tropicals, and short bloomers.
Your flower bulbs will also require very little of your attention, freeing you up to work on other garden projects. Daffodils, tulips, amaryllis, and other bulbs need no regular maintenance as long as they have moisture and well-drained soil. They never need to be divided or replanted – just let them clump and spread as they will for a more natural and playful looking garden.
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Bulbs should be firm and never mushy or rotten—small amounts of surface mold should be okay. If only a small part of the bulb seems to be mushy, try slicing off that part with a knife and stick it in the ground anyway. It’s better to give it a fighting chance than to just assume it’s dead and throw it away. Even chancy plants can live a healthy life if you’re diligent.
Bulbs that have already sprouted will be vulnerable during the winter, so make sure your bulbs have as little new growth as possible. Larger flower bulbs, like tulips, produce bigger plants and tend to come up later in the season than plants from smaller bulbs. Plants with smaller bulbs, like crocus, come up much earlier.
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