Planting fall bulbs is a great way to add color to your landscape in the spring. The perennial plants will emerge in the spring and make way for a great show case of color. Planting fall bulbs is more cost-effective than planting individual container plants. You can usually buy a pack of 100 tulip bulbs for around $40.00. Of course there is time and labor invested in producing container plants. If you are patient enough to start planting fall bulbs now and are willing to wait until spring to see the fruits of your labor, you can get a great deal. The largest cost associated with container plants is the production of a mature plant. Everything from the cost of the soil to fertilizer to watering the plant all account for a dramatically higher cost. Keep in mind that if you plant bulbs in the fall, they will not start off as large plants in the spring. It may take several years for the bulb to grow into a good-sized plant. It also takes several years for the root system of the plant to develop.
Your success rate when installing bulbs is generally lower than that of installing container plants. Container plants already have an actively growing plant available. Bulbs offer the hope that the plant will emerge in the spring. We have seen the success rate of bulbs such as tulips reach 90% at the highest, all the way down to 40% at the lowest. As with anything, always choose a quality bulb supplier. There is probably a reason why one supplier offers the same product a hugely discounted price. Most bulb suppliers should be able to tell you the success rate for planting their product.
Planting fall bulbs? Here are some suggestions.
- Tulip
- Daffodil
- Iris
- Lilies
- Peonies
- Crocus
- Hyacinths
- Amaryllis
- Camassia
- Fritillaria
- Lycoris
- Ranunculus
- Scilla
- Zantedeschia