Another Productive Day in the Garden

Today I was up early and out the door before stopping for coffee. I needed to be at my client's house at 8 AM to do their spring bulb containers.  Lucky for me my client Marge handed me a cup of coffee and also offered me 2 slices of cinnamon toast. It is safe to say I have been on call to do their gardening needs for years and tend to think of them as friends who are also my clients.

The bulb resin containers came in two sizes 16 inches and 19 inches, and both were deep enough for the bulbs.  

Planting the spring bulbs was an easy project.  I planted the two large containers that would feature red tulips and Dutch master daffodils and the other 2 containers would feature grape hyacinth bulbs, Muscari with yellow daffodils, and narcissus bulbs. 

Then I did some smaller daffodils and tulip containers that would be kept in cold storage (average temp 48 degrees Fahrenheit)  My client said she would use the small bulb containers to decorate indoors; dining table, and coffee table, and she would give some to neighbors.

Since the bulbs came from clients' cold storage and had sprouted already I did not recommend that they put the containers outdoors especially if the weather was bitterly cold and the soil would freeze. This would not be good for the bulbs that had signs of new growth.

My client agreed and said they would put the containers on their deck where there was plenty of sun.  Then if the weather turned bitter cold again they would move to a protected area where the soil would not freeze. 

 I also recommended that the soil stay evenly moist but not wet as they did not want the bulb to dry out.

After the spring bulb container gardens were planted I went back home and got busy being productive in my own garden. Worked some on my new herb garden and also made a list of the things that I needed for the garden center at Lowe's.

This time of the year is busy for me because clients are calling for help with their yard and garden needs and I also need to get my gardens ready for spring flower blooms and garden plantings.

Today was another perfect day for working in the garden. I am glad that we have had warm days in January because I have used my time wisely by being productive in the yard and garden.

Spring Bulb Container Tips

A spring bulb container garden is a nice way to welcome guests to your home. Container gardens are a good choice for people who have a small yard or live in apartments; you can easily grow a variety of spring bulbs to enjoy even if you have limited space.  Bulb container gardens are easy to maintain, all you need is a container with drainage, potting soil, bulb fertilizer, water, and sunshine.   

Instructions:

Choose a container that meets your needs; has ample room for your flowers to grow and has water drainage holes.  You will also need high-quality potting soil and fertilizer.

Buy spring bulbs from online nurseries or from your local garden store.  If you shop online always buy the plant that has the highest rating and with 4 or 5-star customer reviews.  Choose an eye-appealing bulb arrangement for your container, some people like to grow all the same spring flowers; red tulips, yellow daffodils, fragrant hyacinths, and cheerful crocus mix.  While others grow a variety of spring-blooming flowers; red Impression, golden Apeldoorn, and Daydream orange tulips will look stunning when grown with purple Muscari or daffodils grown with white wood hyacinths or paperwhites.

When planning your spring bulb containers consider all the growing stages of spring, such as early, mid, and late spring bulbs. For a container garden for a full season of color, you should purchase a few varieties of spring bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinth, and crocus. 

Tips

Plant the bulbs at the right depth, the general rule is double the size of your bulb and that is how deep you would plant it.

Grow bulb containers indoors on a southern windowsill or you can grow with artificial lights.

Make several bulb containers and keep them over winter in your greenhouse.  In spring when the flowers begin to grow give the container gardens to friends and family as gifts or sell them at the farmers' market or church bazaar. Growing spring bulb containers for profit would be a great part-time business.