Time Is Now To Plan Your Spring Garden

The most challenging garden chores are finally finished. It’s time to relax - at least for a few weeks. Soon we will be back at it, digging and planting spring-flowering bulbs.

But before we can begin that chore, we really should plan the spring garden. That requires a comfortable garden bench (the one we never seemed to have time for until now), a pad and pencil, an icy cold drink and an armful of fall catalogs. This is the time to dream, to imagine bouquets of tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths and more. Next spring they will be filling the air with fragrance and our yards with bright colors as the earth awakens from its winter nap.

Nothing is quite as delightful as those little periscopes of spring: crocus. They’re one of the first flowers to pop out of the ground, blanketing the garden in white, violet, yellow and purple.

Though there are many types of crocus, sticking with one type will produce the best show. Make sure the soil drains well and that they are planted about 4 inches deep and in groups of about 25. Try not to skimp on the number of corms. The more the merrier.

Spring would not be spring without the appearance of buttercups. If your garden doesn’t have a natural planting of the little yellow charmers, simply plant a few winter aconites. OK, so they’re not the real buttercup, but they sure run a close second.

Winter aconites (eranthis) are golden yellow flowers that bloom February through April, depending upon weather. They like to be planted one inch deep and about three or four inches apart. They enjoy woodland or natural areas in soil rich in organic matter. They tend to multiply quickly, but they are easily controlled. Alongside this early blooming delight don’t forget mass clumps of white snowdrops.

Continue adding to this glorious spring garden with a bit of scilla, little gems that bloom white or blue. They need to be planted where they are easily seen in groups of six or more.

Is your list of bulbs developing? Make sure you leave room for the giants of the spring garden - tulips and daffodils. Like the crocus, there are many types of these bulbs from which to choose.

In the tulip family alone you can find lily-flowered, Darwin, viridiflora, triumph, Rembrandt, parrot, fringed, cottage, singles and doubles. And of course you’ll need to choose whether you want early, mid-season or late bloomers.

If you only think of a daffodil as a simple yellow trumpet flower, there’s a whole flower kingdom awaiting your explorations. There are trumpet, large-cupped, small-cupped, double triandrus, cyclamineus, jonquils, tazetta, poeticus, split-cupped, wild species and many miscellaneous cultivars.

Plant tulips in well-drained soil, six to eight inches deep in groups of 12 or more for a really big show. One of my favorite tulips is the popular Angelique. It’s a ruffled pink and creamy white flower that blooms late May to early June.

Daffodils should be planted at least eight to 10 inches deep and either naturalized among evergreens or planted in beds and mulched over for the winter.

Don’t forget to add a few allium, (giant and dwarf), saffron crocus (crocus sativus) and other fall-blooming crocus, giant hyacinth, fall-blooming colchicum, wood hyacinth, tristagma star flower and fritillaria (both the giant imperials and Persica Adiyaman.)

Now, there’s a spring garden that would brighten anyone’s spirit after a long and cold winter. Plant the bulbs anytime between now and when the ground freezes. If you can’t get into the planting area right away, simply store the bulbs in a cool spot that is ventilated. The vegetable drawer in the refrigerator works well, as long as there are holes in the storage bag.

Spring bulb leaves have a tendency to get in the way when it’s time to plant the summer-flowering annuals. The idea of having to leave those leaves attached to the bulbs until they turn yellow may keep many of you from planting bulbs. Leaving the leaves is important for replenishing the bulbs’ energy. However, if your bulbs are planted in rich, composted soil and fed a couple of times during the year, leaving the leaves on may not be necessary. Leave them as long as possible, but after three weeks clip them off if you must plant in the beds.

If you would like a list of bulb catalogs, please send a self-addressed, stamped business envelope to me, in care of The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615. Happy planting for a glorious spring.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review