fall bulbs

We're very excited about the hundreds of varieties of bulbs we're carrying this fall. Below you'll find a small sample of what's available. We hope that these pictures will help you to find exactly what you're looking for. Click on the small pictures to see a larger image.

September is the ideal time to plant Tulips, Daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs. Although bulbs can be planted well into November, getting them in earlier will allow more time for root development before winter.

With few exceptions, bulbs should be planted in rich, well-drained soil. On many bulbs top and bottom are easy to differentiate, the bottom being the bit with roots. However, even bulbs planted upside down will come to bloom in spring, a comforting fact given the odd shape of some bulbs such as Anemones. Planting depth is usually two and a half times the bulb diameter. A one-inch crocus is planted with its bottom at two to three inches deep, while a two-inch tulip is planted five inches deep.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO VIEW LARGER VERSIONS.

Every spring customers come in wanting to buy Fritillaria imperialis, only to be told they have to come back in September. These bulbs are large and often in limited supply. They come in yellow orange or red and offer spectacular blooms in May.	On a smaller scale the Checkered Lily (Fritillaria meleagris) has equally eye-catching blooms.
Among the first bulbs to bloom in March or April are Snowdrops (Galanthus)	And Winter Aconites (Eranthis). Both can be in bloom while there's still snow on the ground.
The latest bulbs to bloom are Alliums in June. There are many varieties but the one with the largest blooms on 4' tall stems is Allium Globemaster.	Rice Road Greenhouses carries Daffodils in all shapes and sizes including yellow Dutch Master, Pure white Stainless and the pink centred Pink Glory. Among the most unusual is one called Rip van Winkle.
The yellow daffodils combine beautifully with blue Hyacinths like Blue Jacket,	or the smaller grape hyacinth (Muscari Saffier) Among my favourite bulbs are Anemones.
The variety Hollandia has vivid red flowers in May. Anemones also come in shades of blue, pink and white.	Daffodil Wave is a sturdy plant weathering spring winds and rain well in trials. Its cup is tightly packed with frilly yellow and white petals. Wave has a light fragrance.
For May blooms look for late flowering types like the near black Tulip Queen of Night.	Daffodil Bridal Crown is a fragrant, early bloomer which is also good for forcing.
Muscari Golden Fragrance has short spikes of yellow flowers topped with a few purple flowers. Plant in a sunny location. These bulbs will multiply if left undisturbed.	Autumn flowering crocus come in several varieties including Crocus speciosus and the much larger double flowering Colchicum Waterlily. These are planted in fall, and will flower a few weeks later.
Tulip Hotpants (I wonder who names these things) features large purple and white flowers and strong stems that are great for cutting,	Iris Katherine Hodgkins is a striking blue. I tried these in my own garden last year under a creeping Juniper. This kept the squirrels from digging them up and the flowers looked great against the blue green foliage of the Juniper.

Bone meal may be applied at planting time to encourage strong root growth and a spring application of balanced fertilizer will improve growth and bloom.