Gardening in August

tulip-bulbsAs August winds down and cooler weather begins to sink in you may be thinking that gardening season is over. But don’t give up on gardening just yet. It is bulb planting season. August is a great time of year to plant bulbs because over winter the bulbs will develop a strong root system and then will be the firsts plants to produce blooms in the spring. If you spend a little time preparing now, your garden and home will look beautiful once spring rolls around again.

Shopping for Bulbs:When shopping for bulbs you want to make sure to purchase your bulbs from a reputable nursery, catalog, or garden center. Some local garden centers that Designscapes Colorado recommends are: Tagawa Gardens and O’Toole’s Garden Center you can visit their websites at: http://www.tagawagardens.com/ and http://www.otoolesgardencenters.com/

Planting Preparation:When you are choosing a site for your bulbs you will want to choose a site that receives a good amount of sun and a site that is also well drained. You will want to work a few inches of compost with a high content of organic matter into the soil. This will provide the bulbs with a great growing environment that is full of nutrients that they can feed off of as they develop their root system.

Planting: Once you have purchased your bulbs you will want to plant them quickly and before the ground freezes. Once your soil is prepared you will want to plant the bulbs three times as deep as they are wide. You want to decide what type of look you are hoping to achieve in the spring when you are planting your bulbs. If you are looking for a more natural appearance you can plant the bulbs in a more random order. Or if you love the appearance of groves of daffodils plant the bulbs closer together and in a larger quantity. Visit http://home.howstuffworks.com/planting-bulbs.htm for more information on bulb planting depths and bulb spacing.bulb depths

 

Post Planting Maintenance: After you plant your bulbs you will want to fertilize the bulbs with a low nitrogen formula. You will also want to water the bulbs frequently to help the root system begin to take hold.

Contact Designscapes Colorado for more information at info@designscapes.org.

 

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