Gardening is not over just because the frost is nipping your flowers and the wind is tossing leaves to the ground in reckless abandon. Nature has provided us with all kinds of bulbs that we can plant throughout the months of October and November, as long as the ground is not frozen. They are like tiny gifts that we tuck into the soil and forget about; and then they pop up in spring to surprise and delight us. There are the very early ones, like snowdrops, winter aconite, dwarf iris, and crocus. These are soon followed in mid-spring by daffodils, hyacinth, grape hyacinth, and tulips – the true sign of spring. There are some late season tulips that are joined by summer snowflakes, Spanish and Virginia bluebells, iris, and my personal favorite – fritillaries. Tall, captivating alium will arrive still later – not until early summer – but they are well worth the wait. Autumn is also the time to plant garlic. I always plant it around the perimeter of the garden to deter pests and it is essential protection around rose bushes.
Sadly, some of our most beautiful native bulbs and rhizomes, like trillium and lady’s slipper, are seriously threatened due to urban sprawl and the tilling of land. I once lived on a mountain in Tennessee that had not yet seen the ugly teeth of a bulldozer. I would walk along the dirt road where in springtime an entire hill of large-flowered trillium would burst into bloom so thickly, that it looked as though it had been covered in snow. It was breathtaking.
We can make a bold statement by planting bulbs all over our property. They take up little space and many will emerge right through the grass. Most are perennial so for the tiny bit of effort we put into planting them in the fall, they will repay us over and over each spring, multiplying and warming our hearts along with the melting snow.
