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As we speak, the ocean transport ships are moving flower bulbs from Holland to the States for fall planting. Estimated arrival time is the first week in September. The bulbs include alliums, amaryllis, crocus, daffodils, fritillaria, hyacinths, lycoris, tulips, and many other "minor" bulbs. Examples of the minor bulbs are : anemone, Dutch iris, freesia, snowdrop, grape Hyacinth, scilla, and sternbergia.
We think of Holland as the home of the tulip and the daffodil. The truth of the matter is that most of these bulbs are native to regions such as the Mediterranean and North Africa. The climate of Holland is perfect for growing bulbs due to excellent drainage and adequate moisture, two major requirements for successful bulb growth. For the American gardener, good drainage is a certain need for growing bulbs.
A bulb contains stored energy needed to produce a spectacular bloom. During the blooming process, the bulb spends this stored energy. Blossoms are followed by foliage which produces food to restore the energy back into the bulb for the next bloom. For these reasons, we allow the foliage to live on through the spring in order to rejuvenate the bulb for the following season.
The fall bulbs are perennial which are planted in the fall for production of bloom in the spring. The optimum time to plant most fall bulbs would be from mid October through early December. This allows the bulbs a natural cooling period prior to the warmth of the spring. The theory behind planting too early is that the bulb might emerge before its time, however, I have seen no evidence of this phenomenon. Ho could one explain why the bulbs which are left in the ground from previous years stay on course with the normal spring bloom period? On the other end of the spectrum, don't throw your bulbs away if December passes and they are not planted. We have planted tulips and daffodils on Valentine's Day which yielded stunted, late blooms in May and June rather than the norm of March and April. The bulbs, however, returned to a normal pattern during the second year.
"Forcing of bulbs" is a whole different topic that I will cover in the near future. I will say, you should start in September for forcing in order to have results prior to normal spring flowering of bulbs in the ground.
In summary, shop early for the best selection, but plant your bulbs between mid October and early December. We will be posting our bulbs and pricing in our shopping cart in early September. Our quality, selection, and pricing are excellent. We have compared our bulbs to the bulbs of many mail order sources and found them to be of better quality and at a lesser price than the products of our competitors. Fall is just around the corner!
Andy Lynn