April 15 Column: Spring Bulbs

spring bulbs, crocusesHow many of you are yearning for some color in your garden right now? If you live in a temperate area of the country like I do, I’m certain you are just as anxious as I am. One of the things I’m slowly starting to see in my garden is spring bulbs, and they are a sight for sore eyes, let me tell you!

Spring bulbs are the topic of this week’s garden column. Here is a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Spring-blooming bulbs brighten up the garden. In it, I talk about caring for them while they’re growing and after they’ve bloomed.

I also mention some of the smaller, specialty bulbs and I’ve included a few photos of examples of them at the bottom of this post, just in case you’re unfamiliar with them. Remember that you can click on any of the photos to view a larger image. I can tell I need to take more photos of these delightful bulbs because my photo collection is a bit lacking in that department!

This topic of this week’s “Everyone Can Grow A Garden” video is soil preparation. I know we’re all very anxious to start planting but — for this region, at least — the temperatures are still too chilly and the soil is too wet. But no matter where you live, it is my hope that you’ll learn from my quick tips and get your garden off to a great start each year. Here’s the video:

Here are a few of the smaller specialty bulbs mentioned in my column:

Chionodoxa, Glory of the snow, spring bulbs

This is Chionodoxa, or Glory-of-the-snow.

grape hyacinths, spring bulbs

These are the popular grape hyacinths; in addition to the popular purplish-blue ones, you can find ones with white or bicolor blossoms.

spring bulbs, Siberian Squill

These little charmers are Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica). The intense blue of their flowers is stunning!