60 Days of Tulips (at least).

Multicolored Tulips

If you are a tulip lover, you can enjoy their beauty for a longer time if you plan and plant so they bloom at different times during the flowering season.

For many years the tulip bulb catalogs have listed the approximate time of bloom so that you can compare it's season with the bloom time of other bulbs. If you want to have a big splash all at once, you can plant bulbs that bloom during the same few weeks as others in the same bed. If you are looking to rotate the color or area of bloom, you can use differing bloom times to plan where to put which bulbs. Mapping it out on paper first makes it easier when it comes time to do the actual planting.

Autumn is the right time to think about bulbs, order them and put them into the ground. A lot depends on the garden zone you are in. If you are looking at a tulip variety that blooms from "Late April to Mid May", you should take into consideration that the listed bloom time might not be the same for your area. One way to test this is to keep track of when a bulb blooms in your garden or landscape and compare it with what the catalogs lists as it's usual bloom time. If this bulb in your garden blooms at the same time as that listed, you can use the catalogs listed times to be the same for your garden on any bulb. If your bloom time differs by a week sooner or later, you should judge all the bloom times to be equally earlier or later than what the catalog list it as. Once you know your own bloom times, it's fairly easy to plan a whole bulb planting simply by adjusting the bloom period in your head when reading the catalog and choosing bulbs.

Planting bulbs in the fall for blooms in the spring is an act of faith and hope. Faith in the earths ability to nurture and care for that bulb until it triggers it to grow into something beautiful; and hope for the future and the changing of the seasons and the perpetuation of all of nature. You are putting something alive into the ground before the long, cold, dead period of winter. You have faith in what the future will bring, and hope for many tomorrows. This is the deepest connection to earth that gardeners alone have. It is more profound with the planting of bulbs than the planting of seeds. Bulbs test your faith and patience much more because of the long waiting period. They are good teachers for our fast paced, rushing around life styles. They force us to dream slowly, believe long, and look farther ahead.

Tulip bulbs ready to plant

The BULB catagory of plants is easily expanded to include Iris rhizomes, lilies, ranunculus, etc. Crocus will begin to pop up and bloom while snow is still on the ground as early as February in some zones, and you can extend the bulb season well into June or later with other types of bulbs or eye-roots like Hardy Geraniums. Bulbs of all kinds are part of the cottage garden look, and can easily be formalized into colorful beds neatly divided. Bulbs should be part of every garden. They are considered perennials, although after many years of blooming, some will need to be replaced, divided or split.

When it comes to purchasing bulbs, I recommend you use a catalog company that has a good replacement policy in case of failure to bloom. You probably won't need to use it, but a little insurance is good, especially if you plan a large planting as you will have a substantial investment in bulbs.

If you intend to put bulbs in 'virgin' ground, that has not been amended, you will be much happier with the results in the spring if you add some bone meal and bulb food to the holes below the bulbs. It will also enable the bulb to store up the food it needs for blooming in the following years. Another good practice is to buy a large bag of bone meal and keep in on hand. Then when the rainy season begins in the fall, put on a raincoat and take the bag of bone meal and sprinkle it over every bulb bed you have. The rain will carry in down to where the bulb can use it. I used to do this once a year in the fall, but it can be done any time of year, and doing it when it's raining just makes it easier and more fun.

Gardeners are great at looking ahead, and bulb planters are even better at it.