Keeping your cool: The skinny on forcing bulbs

Forcing bulbs may sound cruel, but the term merely means that you’re encouraging the plants to bloom early by treating them in a special way. You can force potted bulbs into early bloom, but they still need 8 to 16 weeks to chill (generally the larger the bulb, the longer the chilling time). Place the bulbs in the fridge, in an unheated garage that doesn’t freeze, on chilly basement stairs, or in a cold frame (a wooden or concrete block box buried in the outside soil during the cold months). Some of the easiest and most popular bulbs to force are paperwhites.
As soon as you pot the bulbs you want to force, you have to keep them cool and the soil lightly damp. If the soil dries out, their roots won’t form, and if the temperatures are too warm, the flower buds in the bulbs may end up being blind or will blast (they’ll shrivel and never develop into full blossoms).
Forcing spring bulbs has two stages, and the first is the rooting period. For the rooting stage, place the potted bulbs in any cool (40–50°F), dark spot for 10 to 16 weeks. Some varieties take longer than others. Don’t worry if the temperatures aren’t in this range every day; the temperature range is just the ideal. The important point is that the bulbs are in a cool, not freezing, place to root. A refrigerator is perfect. Tip: Before moving the potted bulbs to the next stage, look at the drainage holes in the pots. Roots should be growing out of the holes; if they aren’t, put the potted bulbs back into a cool, dark area until they are. One of the most common ways people fail in this game is by not allowing the bulbs to root sufficiently before going to the next stage. Alternatively, the bulbs may be ready to come out of the big chill when you see at least an inch of top growth and the bulbs don’t move when you try to wiggle them by hand. After the bulbs are well-rooted, you can move them to the growing-on phase, where the foliage starts to grow and the eventually bulb blooms. First, you want the bulbs to adjust to warmer temperatures and higher light, so place the rooted bulbs in their containers in a cool, bright spot that’s around 60°F for a few weeks. Remember to keep the soil lightly moist. Next, move the bulbs to an area that’s slightly warmer — mid to high 60s — and very bright to finish the plant’s growing-on cycle. A sunny, south-facing windowsill is fine. Turn the pots a quarter turn each day; otherwise, the stems will lean toward the light. You can also place the bulbs so their foliage is a few inches from a two-tube, or preferably four-tube, fluorescent light fixture.
The bulbs should bloom in about three to four weeks. The blossoms will last longer if you move the bulbs to a spot that’s cool (in the lower 60s) and not quite as bright (without direct sunlight).

Planting summer-blooming bulbs

Most summer-bloomers, such as gladioli, calla lilies, dahlias, tuberous begonias, and crocosmias, love warm soil and toasty summer sun. If you garden in a mild climate (Zones 8 to 10), you can plant these bulbs in the early spring and expect flowers by summer. If you garden in a colder area, early spring planting isn’t feasible. Instead, wait until late spring or early summer — the same time locals plant tomatoes outside — or start bulbs early indoors in a warm spot and care for them until danger of frost has passed; then you can move the plants outdoors. In either case, regular doses of all-purpose fertilizer (applied according to label directions) can nudge your plants into faster, more robust growth and more and better flowers.
To get flowers earlier and longer from these summer bloomers, visit a nursery in late spring or early summer (or place your order then with a mail-order house, either via catalog or Web site) and buy a larger, pre-started plant.

When to plant bulbs

Bulbs aren’t instant-gratification plants. They need some time in the ground before they send forth stem, foliage, and flowers. But they’re not inert when they’re in the ground, of course. They’re generating root growth, which will help nourish the show as well as anchor the plants in place. The following sections explain what different types of bulbs require, depending on when they bloom.

Planting spring-blooming bulbs
Spring-blooming bulbs require a chilling period. They’re dormant when you get them and break dormancy only after the chilling. Winter conveniently supplies this necessary cold period! That’s why you put the bulbs in the ground the fall before you want them to bloom.

Purchasing bulbs through mail-order

Sometimes you just don’t have enough time to get to a retail store or you want a particular variety of bulb that’s not commonly found in your local garden center or home supply store. This is where buying from a mail-order supplier can be a real advantage.
Here are the perks of sending away for your bulbs:

• Quality: Mail-order bulbs are frequently bigger and fresher. Every step of the way, from climate-controlled storage to the cushioned box they arrive at your door in, mail-order bulbs get premium treatment.
  
• Selection: Catalogs and Web sites devoted especially to bulbs are impressive: You can browse beautiful bulbs you’ve never seen at your local garden center. The selection of cutting-edge varieties also comes into play, because bulb merchants often work directly with Dutch growers to get the new and improved bulb varieties that sometimes aren’t produced in enough quantity to be distributed by mass merchants.

Take a look at the disadvantages:

• Wait time: There’s a lag between the time you place your order and the day you receive your bulbs. When you order the bulbs matters. If you order bulbs in spring or summer to be sent the coming fall, you may wait many weeks. It you order them in the fall, delivery usually just takes a few weeks, sometime less. Wait time also depends on the supplier. If the seller has the bulbs in his or her warehouse in the U.S., the bulbs are usually shipped faster than if they have to be sent to you directly from Holland.
• Inability to inspect the merchandise: You can’t handle or inspect your bulbs until they arrive. However, all reputable mail-order suppliers guarantee their wares and will replace bulbs or refund your money if the bulbs don’t meet your expectations. Find and read the guarantee and return policies, just in case you have to use them.

Buying bulbs from home stores and nurseries

You can buy bulbs in so many places these days. If you’re a novice and need some planting information, want top-size bulbs, and need help with your selection, garden centers and nurseries are often your best choice. Home centers have a reasonable selection but usually sell smaller bulbs, and they rarely provide much gardening information.
Here are the advantages of buying bulbs in person:

• Instant gratification and impulse buying: You can get the bulbs you want, or come across others that tempt you, and buy them on the spot.
• Immediate planting: Shopping and planting on the same day is an option if you have the time and are feeling gung-ho.
• Poor storage conditions: Normal display-rack or display-box conditions aren’t ideal for bulbs. Some may dry out; others may sprout prematurely. The smaller the bulb, the faster it dries out. In spring, summer-blooming bulbs are often displayed in home stores weeks, if not months, before the soil is warm enough for planting them.
• Lack of variety: Selection isn’t all that varied. Buy spring-blooming bulbs early for late-summer to early-fall planting. That way, the bulbs will be fresh and in the best condition, and you’ll have the biggest selection.
• Questionable contents in the bin: Bulbs may get into the wrong bin as customers pick through them. You may end up with the wrong color or a completely different type of bulb.
• When selecting your bulbs, read bin or packaging labels with care so you know the names of what you’re buying as well as something about the plants, like how tall they get, when they bloom, whether they grow in sun or shade, and how far apart and deep to plant them.

The Search: Where to Get Your Bulbs

Making a successful, beautiful bulb display doesn’t begin at planting time. It begins when you go bulb-shopping or bulb-swapping. Neighbors can be a great resource for extra bulbs when they’re dividing their bulbs. But do be picky: Free bulbs aren’t a bargain if they aren’t strong and healthy. Bulb quality can vary, so starting with good ones is important. Here’s what to look for:

• Appearance: A fresh, good-quality bulb is plump and clean, without obvious damage to its outer layers. Avoid bulbs with disfiguring dents or blemishes, which can let in rot-inducing bacteria. Bulbs may contain a small amount of green penicillin mold, which is rarely harmful. Some bulbs, like anemone and ranunculus, always look dried up.
  
• Heft: Pick up a bulb and handle it for a moment. Then pick up a few others from the same basket or bin (of the same variety) and compare their weights. Bulbs that feel lightweight relative to their peers are likely to be dried out and not viable (they may even be last season’s leftovers, for all you know). While you’re at it, gently squeeze the bulb. A squishy texture indicates rot, but a good, firm feel means the bulb has sufficient moisture content.
• Size: With bulbs, bigger is better. A larger bulb has more stored reserves and therefore can produce larger and more flowers on more substantial stems. You get what you pay for; you can get incredible deals on bulbs, but they may be too young and small to bloom.

A daffodil by any other name . . .

What’s the difference between a daffodil and a narcissus? None! Narcissus is the Latin name for the genus common to all daffodils. Jonquil, another common name ascribed to daffodils, is proper only when you’re referring a particular type, or division (Division 7), of daffodil called jonquilla. Essentially, the name refers to the species Narcissus jonquilla and its hybrids. These plants are the ones that have multiple flowers to a stem, and the blooms are usually very fragrant. In other words, all jonquils are daffodils, but not all daffodils are jonquils.