Last Minute Fall Shopping List

Turning your multi-colored planters and clay pots upside down in the garden shed is like putting away the holiday decorations. There is a slight tugging at the heart that the season is over. Looking for a creative solution to display your pots and add inside winter color? Plant some bulbs. Now is the time to purchase a sampling of the many choices available. Get ready to design your own indoor garden to beat the winter blues.

For your shopping list, here are the types of bulbs that do well indoors:

Crocuses: Use 8-10” pot with 9 to 15 bulbs per pot; varies on size of crocus bulb.
Paperwhite Narcissus: Use 10-12” pot with 5 to 7 bulbs per pot.
Miniature Narcissus: Use 8-10 “pot with 9 to 12 bulbs per pot.
Hyacinths: Use 10-12 “pot with five bulbs per pot. Hyacinths are extremely fragrant; good for a large office or room.
Amaryllis: Use 10" pot with one per pot – if you use a 12-15” pot, you can put three bulbs. If you want to have fun, you can get a flat and force nine bulbs in a flat.
Low-growing to medium size tulips: Use 10-12” pot with 7 to 9 bulbs per pot. Position the flat side of the tulip (not the bottom) to face the outside of the pot.
Miniature Iris bulbs: Use 8-10” pot with 5 bulbs per pot. Space approximately an inch apart.
Grape Hyacinths: Use 8-10” pot with 15 to 20 bulbs per pot.

Some of these bulbs are grown in potting soil; others are planted in pea stone. This is a great time to purchase your bulbs and store them in a cool, dry place. A general planting note to keep in mind - you can position bulbs so they are almost touching each other. They don’t require tons of planting space with the exception of miniature Irises. Later in the season, a follow-up blog will go into detail on how to plant and force them.

So to end another horticultural hodge-podge week of Annie’s Gardening Corner, the inspirational gardening thought of the day is by Georgia O’Keefe. “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment.” Turn off the news and spend this weekend looking at the remaining flowers in your garden and don’t forget to order your bulbs for indoor winter interest.