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What bulbs can I plant to have something in bloom in the spring, summer and fall? Is it possible to have a garden devoted to bulbs? I live in Minnesota.

Last Updated: April 02, 2008

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In Minnesota we have hardy spring and early summer blooming bulbs (e.g., tulips, daffodils) that are planted in the fall, and tender summer blooming bulbs (e.g., dahlia, canna, begonia) that are planted in the spring but must be lifted in the fall and stored in non-freezing temperatures over the winter. You can extend the spring blooming season by planting early, mid, and late-season bulbs. If you would like to see a month by month calendar of approximately when bulbs will bloom, see the following website Bulbs It is possible to have a garden devoted strictly to bulbs, but there are several things to consider. Once bulbs are done blooming the leaves should be left until they dry up and turn brown. This allows the leaves to continue to photosynthesize and store energy in the bulb for next year. If you don't find it objectionable to have brown leaves in amongst other blooming bulbs, this won't be a problem. Other gardeners choose to plant perennials around their blooming bulbs to camouflage the browning foliage of the bulbs. Most bulbs need a well drained soil. Some spring bulbs are good at blooming year after year while others are not. If you want your hardy bulbs to come back the following year, they need the right conditions. Once spring bulbs are done blooming they don't need much water, lets say as much as summer blooming bulbs do. So it could be difficult to blend spring bloomers with summer bloomers, and then there is the matter of lifting the summer bulbs in the fall without disturbing the spring bloomers. If you want to devote a garden strictly to bulbs, it can be done, but you most likely won't have season long color, or, you may need to treat the bulbs as annuals and not expect them to return the following year. For more information see the following: Plant spring-flowering bulbs now for vibrant color Storing Tender Bulbs and Bulblike Structures Bulbs, Rhizomes, Corms and Tubers

Browse related Faqs by tag: horticulture, flowers, bulbs, minnesota


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