Ahhh, fall in New England! There’s nothing like it. It’s our reward for putting up with harsh winters, rainy springs, and sweltering summers. Fall is for leaf-peeping, mums, apple picking, and corn mazes. It is also time to plant spring bulbs, and transplant and divide perennials.

Autumn is when you should thin out overcrowded areas of your garden and invest some time and resources into next year.

What a sight in the spring when you find your buried treasure of golden daffodils that have popped up to cheer you when you are just as sick of winter weather as you can be!

So this September blog is all about the planning and planting that should be done in the fall to prepare your garden for spring. Of course, we’re here to help do all of this for you, just contact us and we’re there!

Let’s Start With Bulbs! What the Heck Are They, Anyway?

Bulbs are actually the swollen stem of a plant that grows underground. Nutrients are stored in the swollen stem for future use in the spring. Some bulbs are like garlic, forming cloves. Others grow like onions. These are true bulbs. Examples are tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and lilies. There are other structures that are similar like rhizomes, tubers, and corms. They are all swollen stems as well, just not technically bulbs, but we will refer to them as bulbs for this purpose.

Spring bulbs should be planted in early to mid fall. This gives them a chance to grow some roots before overwintering. These types of bulbs need to freeze. This process is called vernalization a necessary process in the plant’s life cycle.

Hyacinth, allium, and daffodils are my favorite spring bulbs (aside from garlic and onions, I’m always thinking about food). Tulips are beautiful but when the deer aren’t eating them (maybe I should try them, or NOT, ha ha), they peter out over time. They don’t usually naturalize. Daffodils are great at naturalizing. Deer don’t eat them. These bulbs are hardworking and often you will see them pushing through the snow. They are a cheerful welcomed sight in the spring.

Chart from Hanging Baskets Direct — *Chart from* *Hanging Baskets Direct*

How Deep Should I Plant Bulbs? Should I Fertilize?

A rule of thumb is to plant the bulbs 2.5 times as deep as the bulb’s diameter. If you have wet or clay soil, plant higher, if you have sandier loam, plant deeper. It is best if you have instructions to follow. You don’t need to fertilize small bulbs, but larger ones could use a first application when the shoots emerge in the spring and then another dose after they flower.

Dahlias are Delightful!

Dahlias are a beautiful summer “bulb.” They are tubers. These types of plants are not hardy to our area, so they can’t be planted too much before Memorial Day and should be dug up right before the first frost.

(Tip: The japanese beetles do like to eat dahlias, so putting out a trap is advised. Just make sure to put it at the other end of your property. These traps have sex hormones that attract the beetles to fall into a hanging bag but you don’t want to attract them to the dahlia salad bar you just laid out!)

I dig my dahlias up, clean the soil off them, and lay them in a single layer in buckets. That way they can dry and I store them in my basement where they won’t freeze. I take them out again around Memorial Day weekend, and after I plant my vegetable garden (food comes first) they get planted in my favorite herb garden. I have a Julia Child rose in that garden! I also treat my gladiolas and cannas in this same way. It’s nice to have my old friends rejuvenated.

This can be too much for some people and you may not have the space to store the bulbs. You also can treat them as annuals and buy new the following year. I’m frugal so I like the savings.

If you don’t like digging up plants every year, naturalizing bulbs are a great choice to save time. Go with daffodils, snowdrops, hyacinth and grape hyacinth for naturalization. Crocus and tulips are the tasty ones to avoid if you have high deer browsing pressure in your area.

September -- Time to Divide and Transplant Perennials

September is also the time to do any division of perennials that you didn’t get to in the spring. Make sure that the plant is able to be divided. Some perennials have a tap root and won’t split without dying. If these perennials have colonized, you can separate the individual little plants.

How to Divide: I like to use a soil knife to gently cut my perennials. Hostas and daylilies are very easy to divide. When dividing perennials, you should cut the tops off, leaving 2-3 inches. Depending on the size of the clump, you should be able to get 2-3 individual plants out of each one.

Cutting the tops off will promote root growth by sending hormones downwards. It also reduces the plant’s need for water, allowing the plant to recuperate from the disturbance. The plants will have time to regrow roots before they go dormant and overwinter. I would wait to fertilize until spring when the perennials start to regrow.

How to Transplant: Digging your holes ahead of time will make the transplant process go more quickly and smoothly. Adding organic matter (compost) will help. Pick a cloudy day and try not to leave the roots exposed for too long. Dry roots will hinder the success of your transplants. Make sure to water as needed for a few weeks. We can still have hot weather in September and October. This can be very fun and rewarding, not to mention it saves money!

Let Us Do All Of This For You

No need to sweat all of this out on your own. This is what we do for a living here at Site Structures Landscape, so we are more than happy to help you with ordering and planting bulbs, as well as dividing and transplanting perennials. Please give us a call to order your bulbs or to set up a free consultation in your yard to discuss your various projects!

Until next time,

Leigh Lessard, Director of Landscape Maintenance
To schedule a consultation, please email Leigh Lessard at leigh@sitestructureslandscape.com or call Site Structures at (207) 438-9995.

Let’s Talk Fall, Y’all: Planting Bulbs, Transplanting and Dividing Perennials

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