Gardening Plant bulbs in autumn for spring reward. Autumn is the season to purchase and plant spring-flowering bulbs that will bring joy at the end of the winter. Starting in March, gardeners haunt the windows in search of any outdoor green tips that might be poking above ground. The surveillance intensifies daily until finally, a small, close-to-theground flower is found and celebrated. But that only happens if spring bulbs have been planted in autumn. If the earliest possible appearance is considered most important, then it makes sense to purchase bulbs that are identified as ‘early blooming’. Most often, bulbs are sold with an indication of which part of the spring they will be in bloom (early, middle, late). Another way to identify bloom sequence is to check the height of flower stems. Earlyblooming bulbs will have the shortest stems. Tulips in the single early group, such as small botanical tulips, larger Fosteriana, Kaufmanniana and Greigi might have stem lengths of four to 12 inches. Mid-season tulips such as Triumph and Darwin hybrids will have stem lengths of about 14 to 22 inches. Late tulips such as fringed, parrot and lily-flowered are likely to be 20 to 28 inches tall. Similar blooming seasons and heights are also categorized for narcissus. Garden centres and mail-order nursery catalogues will indicate the season of bulb bloom, but may not always list the flower and stem height. You can make a quick internet search for a flowering bulb’s actual expected height. For earliest bloom, look for flowering bulbs with shorter heights. Almost everyone will recognize the early appearance of shortstemmed crocus, which may bloom close to ground level even as the snow is melting. Some of the shorter tulips growing to less than 10 inches have quite substantial bloom size and make a colourful impact in still-frigid temperatures. Other early bloomers include the minor bulbs such as dark-blue wood squill (Scilla siberica), the dainty white-and-pale-blue striped squill (P. libanotica), and the bright blue-and-white glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa). Blooming schedules for spring bulbs change with climate conditions across the continent. Consequently, pinpoint scheduling for spring bloom designations isn’t entirely accurate, but it’s likely close enough to deliver early delight wherever you garden. Another consideration is how many years of return can be expected from spring-blooming bulbs. Bulbs for market sale have been grown with generous amounts of fertilizer, allowing them to produce large blooms in their first season in your garden. Some returns can be expected for the second and third years, perhaps with fewer stems blooming and smaller flowers; but after that, it’s time to replace them with new bulbs. The genetic characteristics of some early-flowering bulbs allow them to manufacture enough energy to carry on for several years. A short list of long-performing spring bulbs to look for includes tricolour crocus, wood squill, striped squill, narcissus ‘February Gold’, ornamental allium ‘Purple Sensation’ (mid-spring blooming) and any of the Darwin hybrid tulips (late blooming). These all bring many years of spring flowers. Glory of The Snow February Gold Allium – Purple Sensation Crocus CSANews | FALL 2026 | 49
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