Plan Now for Color Later

Gorgeous, brilliant mums in deep purples, bronze yellows and vibrant reds lure you in at the garden center with a burst of instant color that livens up your outdoor space the minute you get them home. That’s not even counting the pumpkins and gourds that, hollowed and carved or not, bring the season alive. Granted, it is so tempting to get caught up in the business of overloading your entryway with porch pumpkins. You can even hire a professional, like Merry & Happy here in the Hudson Valley, to do it for you. But what if you took a deep breath and, while you relished the colors of your mums and the whimsy of your porch pumpkins, thought about the blooms you could enjoy all through the winter and into next spring? That’s the magical power of bulbs. Take the time now and you can have stunning flowers at the holidays and set yourself up for the lovely harbingers of spring as the darkness of winter fades.

It is easy to get intimidated by the idea of forcing bulbs for the holiday season. But, Jennifer Stefani, a local garden designer and founder of Meadowbrook Garden Design says, don’t fret. “Forcing bulbs is easy, even for novice gardeners or as a fun family project. You don’t need anything fancy, just a pot and the right soil. The bulbs do all the work.” Some great choices of bulbs to force indoors are paperwhites (a type of daffodil), hyacinths and the crowd-pleasing favorite amaryllis.

Once you’ve got your lovely amaryllis well on its way, turn your attention to spring by baking (not literally baking – or hopefully literally freezing!) what the Dutch call a bulb lasagna. The idea is to plant different bulb types in layers all in one pot. That means when the first, hardy trailblazers finish blooming, the second and third layers with the latest blooming bulbs will be ready to go and keep the blooms coming while the rest of the flowers in your garden and your containers start to catch up. The key is free-draining potting soil, moist but not wet, and to keep the bulbs cool around 40º F. An unheated garage or basement is ideal. Don’t overwater or the bulbs will rot. Bring them outside in late February or early March and get ready for the magic to start. The Essential Guide to Bulbs by Jenny Rose Carey is an excellent resource for more information.

For your lasagna, you could start with crocus for the top layer and then daffodils in the middle layer. There are literally thousands of tulip varieties for the bottom layer. “Consider trying something you’ve never seen before,” Stefani suggests. “Mix it up with tulips with ruffled edges or variegated colors. Or even doubles that are more peony-like.” Or, if you want, she says you can do all tulips, by choosing early, mid and late blooming varieties. A quick look at all the options at a bulb specialist like John Scheepers is a great place to build your wish list.

The size of your space shouldn’t hold anyone back either. You can force a single bulb in a small pot for your windowsill or plant a bulb bonanza in a pot so big it’s a two-person job.

“You’re only limited by your imagination. And your budget. It’s easy to get carried away with the bulb catalogs,” Stefani says with a laugh.

The idea is to bring color to where you want and need it. It is also about the satisfaction that comes with the patience that bulbs force upon you. That’s part of the point. The waiting is a feature, not a bug, as they say. In a world that sometimes moves too fast, a fuzzy sweater and your favorite bottle of maple syrup can show up on your doorstep less than 24 hours after you ordered them, there’s something special about the delayed gratification planting bulbs can bring. It’s an act of optimism and hope for the future that rewards you with a glimpse of the delicate beauty of nature.