When Sara Henderson spoke on bulbs she mentioned several books about bulbs.  


The Little Bulbs by Elizabeth Lawrence

Garden in Winter by Elizabeth Lawrence


Heirloom Bulbs by Chris Wiesinger


Garden Bulbs for the South by Scoot Ogden


Daffodils in the South by Sara Van Beck


Spring is the time we enjoy most of the bulbs we plant.  It is also a time to assess the bulbs we have and what we might want to add in the fall.  Sara reminded us that many of the bulb companies let us order in late spring for fall planting.  This allows the companies to plan there sale stock and assures customers the bulbs they want.  


One of her tips was how to tell when bulbs can be moved.  If you wait till all the foliage has died back you can not find the clumps you wanted to divide and spread. On most bulbs you can remove top growth and move when foliage starts to  yellow.  This is easier than trying to mark large clumps and waiting until fall to move them.


She does not recommend buying boxed or bagged bulbs from stores.  She says the bulbs have been stored and transported for months and may have dried out.  The bulbs were dug and packaged. Then they are shipped to a retailer who puts them in their warehouse until it is bulb season.  Then it is loaded up and shipped to retail locations. It then sits at the store waiting for a customer buy it.  The bulb has a long time to dry out and loose its viability.  Bulbs may cost more from a direct shipper, but you usually get a much fresher bigger bulb.  With the work involved in planting and caring for the bulb, it is worth starting with a high quality bulb.


When planting bulbs like  cyclamen hederifolum which looks like a hockey puck it is not easy to tell top from bottom.  If you are not sure which is the top plant it on  its side as it will cope.  But if you plant it upside down it will not come up.


Some bulbs are hardier in certain colors than others.  One example is wood hyacinths.  The blue is tough and works well, but the pink and white are not as hardy. With the dwarf iris - iris reticulata - the white is not as vigorous as the blue or purple.


She recommends trying byzantine gladiolus as they are shorter and stand up better than the common glads  you see in the stores.  They can be cut back when they yellow to keep the bed looking tidy..


So start planning your bulbs for 2014!