From The Ground Up: Tips for planting fall bulbs for colorful spring blooms

Once fall temperatures cool it's time to plant spring bulbs. If you've never planted bulbs before some common varieties that perform well in the home garden are crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips. These are considered hardy bulbs and are easy to work with.

When purchasing bulbs, you'll find a wide variety of colors, sizes and spring blooming time (early, mid or late). Look for nice big bulbs that aren't damaged or soft to the touch.

Consider planting location carefully. Sunlight is very important. Bulbs require full sunlight. You can plant bulbs under trees that will leaf out after the bulbs have bloomed, but the foliage of the plants requires lots of sunlight in order to produce energy for a second year of bloom, so a sunny location is a must.

Avoid planting bulbs in low areas that are moist, where they might rot. Bulbs like rich, well-drained soil. Prepare the soil by with a tiller or garden fork, working soil to a depth of at least 8 inches. Add in organic matter such as compost which will help amend the soil. It's also beneficial to work in some granular 5-10-10 fertilizer. A handful is sufficient for about a dozen bulbs but if you have a large area, work in about 2 to 3 pounds per 100 square feet.

Planting designs are really up to you, but they are much prettier in drifts, pools or clumps instead of straight lines or individually. Plant bulbs to the proper depth which varies for each type of bulb depending on its size. General guidelines are to plant bulbs 2 1/2 to 3 times deeper than their diameter. For example, crocus bulbs won't be planted as deep as tulip bulbs. Many bulb packages come with specific depth requirements. Plant with the pointed end up.

When planting, firmly place the bulbs, cover with soil and smooth the top. Water in the bulbs and cover with approximately 3 inches of mulch, grass clippings, chopped leaf material or straw. The mulch will help keep soil temperatures even. Rainfall should be adequate for the bulbs but if it's a very dry fall, an additional watering may be needed before the ground freezes. In spring, when soil temperatures begin to warm, remove the mulch.

Some bulb problems to watch for include poor flowering the first year. This may indicate that the bulbs were planted too shallow, were too wet and rotted or they were eaten or disturbed by squirrels or chipmunks. If you have lots of critters, when planting bulbs cover with a piece of chicken wire to deter digging.

If your bulbs flower well the first year and not the second year, that could indicate a lack of sun or too early removal of the foliage before it turned brown and died back in the spring.

For questions, call the Linn County Extension Master Gardener Hotline at (319) 447-0647.