Bulb, Glorious Bulbs

I know we are entering that crazy time in CO where it is still the heat of the summer but fall jumps out every night.  It reminds us that just around the corner is one of the busiest times for gardeners.  Fall is my second favorite times of year.  It is the time for preparation and planning.  We all know that it is time to purge the garden of all of those dead annuals that pile up, but we sometimes forget that now is the time to go to the garden centers, or Costco if there is one close and stock up on BULBS.  

There I said it, they are not sexy right now or trendy or fun to plant since there is not immediate satisfaction but trust me you will not regret them.  No one will know you planted them until... Next spring when your neighbor's garden still looks like Armageddon and yours looks like a story book, you will thank me.  Bulbs are those poor creatures that everyone forgets about, because they are more focused on what they are taking out of the garden than what they can put in it at this time of year.  Please please please take pity on these amazing plants, they give quite a show for not much of your time.

So the question now becomes what to plant, and the options are virtually unlimited.  Some of my favorites are (in no particular order): tulips, anemones, alliums, daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths.  This year marks the first anemones to hit the CO garden.  I used to plant them in KS with mixed results but from what I have heard and seen from my fellow gardeners here.  They are great in our horrible hot dry, with cold nights climate.  So here it goes, well maybe not just yet but by the time that September rolls around, I will be ready.  

September and October mark the best times of year to plant fall bulbs here.  So get your kids and round up any neighbors you can find, maybe really good friends will help to and get to planting.  My kids love to help plant bulbs for some reason, and as long as they understand which end is up they can help.  Or in my case follow one of them around righting the bulbs that are upside down.  Plant as many as you can afford or stand to plant.  You will not regret it.  So get out there, find, plant and enjoy those bulbs.