Heading into the fall season, I find myself planning more than ever. Often times people think spring is the busiest time for a landscape company, and that might be true for most, but with our company, we do so much seasonal decorating, we find ourselves extremely busy in the fall. Not only are we continuing to install new jobs and do maintenance for our clients’ landscapes, but we also are decorating for the fall and Christmas seasons.
In the midst of fall decorating with mums, cabbage, and pumpkins, we also plant spring flowering bulbs.
While there are some shrubs like azaleas and rhododendrons that provide stunning color in the spring, many people like the added layer of spring flowering bulbs. Spring flowering bulbs must be planted in the fall where they will remain dormant throughout the winter and when the time is right, they will begin to grow in the spring. It always amazes me to see a simple, boring brown bulb being planted in the soil, and then see what amazing color that little boring brown bulb produces in the spring.
Here are some of the most common types of bulbs.
Crocus: Crocuses are one of the first signs of spring. They are small flowers that are close to the ground but can add a wonderful pop of white, purple, or yellow color to the early spring landscape.
Tulips: I might argue that tulips are one of the most popular or well known flowers in the spring. With their large cup-shaped flowers, they can create a wonderfully beautiful display in an array of colors.
Daffodils: One of the key features of the daffodil is they tend to be deer resistant. They are most commonly yellows and whites with a trumpet-like flower.
Hyacinth: These can be one of the most fragrant flowers to incorporate into your landscape. They have a large, vibrant flower cluster most commonly in whites, pinks, and purples, and create an impressive show.
Allium: I love fireworks and the Alliums are nothing short of a firework for the garden. Most commonly purple or white, these bulbs shoot up from the ground with a large ball of color in the later part of spring.
