Before the holiday hit I left you with a few things to do to put your garden to bed (click here to read part 1). Today I want to talk about putting your bulbs away for the season. I was waiting for some cold weather to hit so I could pull up the begonias, allium and dahlias to show how to put them away until next year. We finally got a very good hard freeze that lasted for almost 2 weeks. I pulled all the bulbs the first day of the freeze and set them in the greenhouse to dry (it is important to dry them out). Though they don’t look like much, the big clumps of soil and dried leaves indicate there are tuber and bulbs in there.
When the soil you pulled up with your tubers and bulbs is dry and eagerly falls off it’s time to get back to them to prep them for storage. Break away the extra soil and brush them clean with a big, soft brush. They need to be as dirt free as possible and dry.
These are cleaned up and ready to store.
I use white wood chips for storing. Since I use them for the hen house I have them already, shredded newspaper also works. The boxes are saved from tulip bulbs delivered from on line purchases. Pack them loosely and don’t crowd them. My boxes end up on the floor of the garage (cool dark place, no moisture). You could also store them in a dry, cool basement or refrigerator.
Here is one begonia still in the pot living happily in soil and the lights of the green house. It has a great dark ruffled leaf.
Spring is coming slowly but surely, it won’t be long until it is time to put your bulbs all back in the ground again. You can put bulbs like hardy allium and left over Tulips or Daffodils into the ground again right now. There is still enough time to get a chill factor for the spring bulbs although they may come up a little later. Did you purchase spring spring flowering bulbs at sales (I do sometimes and then forget to put them in the ground). I usually try and make sure to have them stored in a cool place to this point. I have a refrigerator in my garage that has mostly drinks, for my crew, and plant material in it. Consider yourself warned, if you go looking for a soft drink or beer you might have to fight through bulbs or chilling seedlings.
During the holiday’s I like to force paperwhites. Once they are done blooming inside I move them, intact, to the greenhouse. When I put my tender tubers and bulbs in the ground I also pop my paperwhites in as well. They will “reset” themselves and bloom next spring. Most information you read about forcing bulbs says to discard after they are finished blooming. I have successfully replanted them in this fashion and had a 50% success rate with re-blooming the next year. Make sure not to cut back the foliage but plant out with foliage intact they need the green leaves to re-energize the bulb for reblooming.
My garden is now put to bed. I use these winter months to start thinking and planning for the coming year. When it is time to put the tuberous begonias, non-hardy allium, and dahlias back out I’ll give you a little tutorial on how to prep them for planting.
Until then happy planting!
