Now ’s the Time to Plan Your Summer Bulb Garden

Warm season bulbs will produce some of the most dramatic garden color with minimal effort. These bulbs are very versatile. You can tuck them among your perennials to create a fuller looking bed or create a special summer bulb garden. Summer blooming bulbs are ideal in containers and will liven up your porch or deck all season long.  Summer blooming bulbs include canna lilies, dahlias, Asiatic and Oriental lilies, gladiolus and tuberous begonias, as well as freezia, caladium, calla lilies, and sparaxis.  

 

Canna lilies feature attractive green, bronze or variegated foliage, in addition to their flowers.  Cannas do well in garden beds and containers. The canna “bulb” is a rhizome.   

 

Dahlias are grown from tubers and come in a wide variety of colors. Dahlias will bring color to your garden in late summer and early fall. Dahlia blooms are especially attractive to pollinators.  

 

For more late summer and fall color, plant Gladiolus. Glads offer height and color to your landscape.  

 

Tuberous begonias make incredible displays of color in a shady spot on your patio. They can be planted in containers, hanging baskets and directly in the garden.  

 

Asiatic lilies are the hardiest of all the summer bulbs.   If you planted some last year, you may see them poking through the ground already. Once they are established in your garden, they'll produce showy blooms for many years. Asiatic lilies spread very quickly. Oriental lilies will generally survive the winter. Oriental lilies won't spread as rapidly as Asiatic lilies, but they tend to be more fragrant.  

 

Except for Asiatic lilies, summer blooming bulbs are not hardy in our gardening zone. If you want to save them year after year, they must be dug up in the fall and stored through the winter. The other option is to treat these warm season bulbs as annuals and replace them every year.  

 

That said, bulbs planted in late spring will produce some of the most dramatic colors in your summer and fall garden.  

When it comes to location, dahlias, gladiolas, Asiatic lilies and cannas grow well when planted in full sun. Caladiums will do better when they’re planted in a spot where they’ll receive morning sun and afternoon shade. Same with calla lilies and sparaxis. 

 

 

Summer bulbs tend to sell out early, so it’s best to shop now to get the best selection. 

 

Now’s the Time to Plant Cool Season Crops

  

Along with showers, April brings smiles from gardeners, because now’s the time to plant cool season crops. By way of explanation, there are two different types of vegetables: cool season and warm season.  Cool season crops include Arugula, Lettuce, Spinach, Chard, and Kale, among others.  Cool season crops will germinate in cold soil and mature in cooler weather and shorter periods of daylight, meaning they are perfect for planting in early spring. This means you can get an early start on your edible garden by planting cool-season crops as soon as the soil is workable. Warm weather crops such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, and others need to be planted later in the season. 

  

Beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale, lettuce, peas, spinach, turnips like the cooler spring temperatures and can be planted from seed now, by direct sowing into your garden or raised bed.   

  

You can also plant broccoli, cabbage, kale, spinach and many others from vegetable transplants, also known as starter plants. Just be sure you take time to acclimate them before you plant them.  Known as hardening off, it's important to take a few days to gradually introduce plants grown in the greenhouse to the environment that is your garden.

  

Onions and garlic can also be planted now. Onions are planted from seeds, sets, and plants.  

  

Garlic is planted from individual cloves. Garlic is a member of the allium family, which includes leeks, shallots, and onions. Planted now, garlic may not clove, because it needs a period of cold winter temperatures to stress the seed and stimulate it to divide into separate cloves that form the bulb. If it doesn't get enough of a cold period, it may not divide into cloves. This is called doming. It’s still edible, but it will look like an onion. 

  

Potatoes are planted from seed potatoes. Egg-sized seed potatoes can be planted whole. Larger seed potatoes can be cut in half or quartered and then planted. Make sure you have at least one set of "eyes" on each piece you plant. Always select certified seed potatoes. Most supermarket potatoes are treated to prevent them from sprouting. 

  

This is the time to plant perennial vegetables, including rhubarb and asparagus. Rhubarb and asparagus are available as bare-root crowns.  Don't harvest rhubarb or asparagus during their first season. This will allow the plants to establish. Once established, rhubarb and asparagus can grow for many years, so pick a spot in the garden where they won't be disturbed for many seasons.  

 

 

You’ll get the best harvest if you do these things. Check the soil to see if it’s workable. A quick way to do this is to grab a fistful of soil and squeeze it. If it crumbles the soil is ready to be worked. If it stays in a clump, it's too wet to plant and you'll need to wait until the soil dries up more. If its dry enough. then prepare your garden bed by working in some organic material, such as Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat, and Compost.

Spread 2" to 3" of Sheep, Peat and Compost on the surface of the garden or raised bed, then dig it in 6" or so. Earth worm castings are also a good addition to your vegetable garden, that can be added now. 

This is also a good time to add some organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers will carry the OMRI seal on the bag. OMRI stands for Organic Material Review Institute. Products with the OMRI seal have gone through rigorous testing to assure the ingredients are organic. Put some in the bottom of each row or planting hole, so the roots of your new plants can grow into it.  

If the garden isn't quite ready, cool season crops do quite well in containers.

  

While you're at it, plant some pansies and violas for color.