Fall Bulbs.... When Bigger is Better

Well... Bulbs. What makes a good bulb? Isn't any bulb good enough? Actually... No. We fight (Not really) the urge to buy low cost bulbs to compete with the box stores but thankfully we will stick to quality and the price, when compared to price per gram, is a bargain. Check out the picture... Sean bought a bag of tulips and a bag of daffodils from a local box store to compare. The difference is evident... almost twice to three times the size.

The following was written by one of our suppliers, Halifax Seed Company and frankly, I couldn't have wrote it any better myself...

Fall Bulbs are available from September to Novemeber. When buying Tulips and Daffodils for spring blooming, remember purchase the biggest bulb you can afford. In this instance the bigger the bulb the better the show. Look for top-size or jumbos in the Tulips, “Double or Triple nose” in Narcissi or Daffodils for best blooms. Small bulbs are used for naturalizing areas.

Inspect the bulbs as you choose them. Look for bulbs that are heavy and solid, soft bulbs won’t grow as well (some varieties and colours of Tulips differ in their weight - i.e. white Tulips can be very heavy where as some bi-colour Tulips are light weight - this is not uncommon and should be taken into consideration at the time of choice). Loose skin (tunics) and nicks do not affect the growth of the bulb. For best results, obtain Tulips with either partial or complete tunics.

Bulbs should not show signs of rot or mold. Powdery mildew is a sign the bulbs have gotten damp in storage or been in poorly ventilated areas. Basal rot shows a brownish stain at the bottom of the bulb.

In The Maritime Provinces, the best time for planting fall bulbs is after Thanksgiving, Mid October onward. Tulips can be planted very late in the year i.e. November/December and will perform wonderfully. Buy your bulbs early for best selection but hold them until the appropriate planting time. Keep the bulbs cool but in a dry area and a paper bag will provide air circulation, do not store in plastic bags.

When purchasing fall flowering Crocus, please note these particular bulbs are planted now, however, the leaves will grow but the Crocus will not produce blooms until the following September.