Grape Hyacinth
(October 2012)
My spring bulbs are coming up, what should I do? Should I just leave them or replace
with new bulbs in November? I live in Western Bella Vista.
A lot of plants are confused this year, so it is no wonder that our bulbs are too.
Leave them alone and hopefully they will slow down in their new growth as the weather
continues to get cooler, and then still bloom again in the spring. I have seen some
snowdrops foliage appearing as well, but there isn’t anything you can do to stop it
or force the foliage back into the bulbs. You can always add to your bulb collection
in November, but don’t count these out yet.
(October 2012)
Arkansas Gardener October 2012 Zone Report
Garden clean up is important. Our poor plants need as much tender loving care as
they can get after making it through the past two years outside. Rake up spent debris,
cut back perennials as they begin to die back. Cannas continue to be plagued by the
leaf roller, and it lives in spent debris in the garden, so don’t give it a resting
place. Cut and destroy. Add a fresh layer of mulch in all gardens. Take inventory
of what worked, and what didn’t. The only plants you should be fertilizing now are
winter annuals and vegetable gardens. Everything else is preparing for winter, and
should not be encouraged to keep growing. Houseplants should all be safely back indoors,
along with any non-winter hardy plants you want to save. Cut back on the watering
indoors and give them bright light to acclimate to the inside conditions. Check for
insects. Plant spring blooming bulbs from now through the first of the year. Expand
your plant palette and instead of just daffodils and tulips, try some unusual bulbs.
The alliums, or flowering onions are gaining in popularity along with scilla, grape
hyacinths and snowdrops.
(Dec. 2009)
About two weeks ago I planted Dutch iris bulbs and muscari bulbs in big pots. They
are coming up now, so I won't have them in the spring like I had planned. Is there
something I can do to protect and prolong their growth? Should I have waited to plant
them after a frost?
It is not unusual to see bulb foliage up this time of year, particularly grape hyacinth
or muscari bulbs. They start growing in the fall every year and still have spring
blooms. Add a little extra mulch around them but don’t worry. They are cold tolerant.
As for the Dutch iris, I am surprised they sprouted that fast, but you should just
have foliage and no flower buds yet, so again, you should still have spring blooms.
All links to external sites open in a new window. You may return to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture web site by closing this window when you are finished. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the information, or the accessibility for people with disabilities listed at any external site.
Links to commercial sites are provided for information and convenience only. Inclusion of sites does not imply University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's approval of their product or service to the exclusion of others that may be similar, nor does it guarantee or warrant the standard of the products or service offered.
The mention of any commercial product in this web site does not imply its endorsement by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture over other products not named, nor does the omission imply that they are not satisfactory.