Novice at bulbs

I was thinking of planting bulbs this fall for spring flowers: tulips, irises, daffodils, crocuses, and lily-of-the-valley. When should I order them? When should I plant them? I noticed that Dutch Gardens lists lily-of-the-valley as "seasonally unavailable," and they won't ship until next spring. That confuses me. Aren't you supposed to plant them in fall, so that they overwinter in the ground and come up next spring?

Hi, I can explain the difference, although your seasons won't be exactly the same they are similar.

Bulbs such as Tulips and Daffodils need to establish overwinter in order to flower properly. Many bulb companies appear to already have their stocks online. They generally start to offer autumn bulbs from July, and will start sending them out from September into October, early November is normally the latest.

Lily of the Valley is best planted in spring, they are not technically a bulb, but spidery looking roots which form on runners, and have a central growth 'pip'. These are best moved when coming into growth in spring so they will establish quickly. Some other bulbs such as Snowdrops are also best shipped in spring 'in the green' as they establish better.

Spring flowering crocus should be planted in the autumn. There is an autumn flowering crocus, called Colchicum, which can also be purchased in the autumn but is generally best moved 'in the green' in spring. Most suppliers will prefer to sell them dry in the autumn for obvious reasons.

Iris vary, depending on which type. There is the dwarf spring flowering I reticulata which should be planted in autumn, and plant them very deep as they will return better in following seasons. 8" or so is recommended, shallow planting encourages them to divide and they take 7 years then to flower, or disappear. Iris rhizomes are best planted late summer/early autumn in order to establish roots before winter, the time varies according to your climate. Dutch iris bulbs can be planted in autumn.

Ahh! You see how much of a novice I am? I didn't know any of this. Thank you!

Pleased to be of help!

Hi, White Hydrangea--

so glad to have you on the bulb forum with a 'budding' interest in bulbs! I'm relatively new to them, too, and have learned a lot from DGers (like wallaby), too.

I would suggest that you send away for the Brent & Becky bulb catalog and the Scheepers catalog to familiarize yourself with many of the bulbs available. (After you have tried out these suppliers for a few years you may want to branch out to the more select or rare puveyors that may meet your needs as you become 'obsessed'.)

And be sure to check the Garden Watchdog for company reviews and to e-mail several for the latest catalogs.

http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/120/

While most bulb companies are respectable, a few are not so responsible and you may want to do business elsewhere.

And don't forget to check the Co-op Forum often for bulb co-ops (going on now) that may provide interesting bulbs at really good prices.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/groupbuy/all/

Although I am sure you will find lots of good info on the DG threads, this article and its links are a nice introduction to growing bulbs, too.

http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/bulb-planting.html

Good luck. t.