is now..
Fall bulbs get planted in the Fall, producing flowers in the Spring. Spring bulbs get planted in the Spring, producing flowers in the Summer.
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That's how it works on our island. For this, I didn't make the rules, I've just learned to follow them. I grew up in the magnificent formal garden maintained by my parents who were both ardent, passionate, and diligent in their gardening. Planting time for bulbs always confused me; I spent years asking, "But why do you plant them now if they don't grow until then?" The answers I received were less than scientific typically consisting of, "Because that's the way it's done." In much the same way that nickels are larger in size than dimes but have less value, planting time confuses new gardeners.
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Confusion results in staring at everyone else's beautiful tulips in the Spring and wondering, "How did they get them? Where did they come from?" Unlike the wild orange North Shore daylilies, you do not get Dutch tulip blooms unless you make the effort to plant them.
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In the Spring, our yard is a riotous profusion of color. While many tulips come back each year, and do prove to be hardy perennials, I treat tulips as annuals. I plant approximately one hundred new ones each year.
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So, this is a reminder for those on our island: planting time for happy tulips, sunny daffodils, and the like, is now.
