This Fall, Think Spring.
Whether you are a gardener or not, by February, everybody in New England begins to crave catching a glimpse of the color green, especially the growing, living, emergance of spring green. The anticipation of seeing all the bright colored flowers that follow overwhelms us weeks before our long dark winter hibernation is over. My grandmother planted crocus under the window she sat in front of. She sat there every day to knit and crochet in the warm sun. Everytime she opened the front door next to get the mail, she’d check the ground under the window to see if the crocus were up. You see the window was south facing and the sun warmed the foundation of the house enough to melt the snow 18” out. She would report to everyone she new that spring was just around the corner because her crocus were up – most of the time by the second week in February. It was pretty cool to see how much those tiny flowers made her happy. It wasn’t just a fleeting emotion either. I swear it altered her mood enough to persevere through the dreary months of February and March. Think about it, we do not see trees break bud around here until May!
The best time to think about next spring is this fall when spring blooming bulbs need to be planted. Rolling Green Nursery recommends that you set the bulbs you will be planting in the sun for a few hours to be sure they are completely dry. Spray them wih Repells-All or Everguard to deter rodents from disturbing them. Allow to dry again in the sun. Dig your hole to the depth specified by each type of bulb, mix a little Bulb-tone in the soil before placing the bulbs and cover with soil. In the pring when you see their green stalks emerge, apply the deterrent again to prevent the deer from eating your flowers. We stock a variety of Holland Bulbs like daffodil, narcissus, tulips, muscari, snowdrops, crocus and more. New to us this year are Bloompads that make ‘Planting Happiness’ even easier. Preselected combinations are put together in a convenient pouch that you just drop into a hole and cover. Remember to fertilize the bulbs again in the spring to encourage the bulbs to perennialize & rebloom year after year. Bulbs are very economical, when you compare the ‘flower power’ to the cost.