I thought I would elaborate further on the topic of planting bulbs for spring.   After a long dreary winter, it is always great to see some life in the garden and I always get quite excited when I see my first bulbs poking through the soil; a sign that spring is on its way.  The hardy bulbs (i.e. narcissi (daffodil), crocuses and tulips) can be planted in among the perennials from late summer to early winter.   I never plant the bulbs in a line, but rather in drifts for better effect.   It is important to plant the bulb at the correct depth.  Invariably if the bulbs are prepackaged, the suggested depth is given in the instructions on planting, but rule of thumb is to plant each bulb twice their own depth.   I actually have a small narrow trowel that has measurements on it so I  know how deep to dig or you can purchase a special bulb planter.   If you are feeling adventurous you may want to “naturalise” your bulbs in grass where they can remain undisturbed.  Choose early flowering bulbs as you should not be mowing the leaves off until at least 6 weeks after flowering.  

As we are now in the month of November, another project that I enjoy doing is forcing bulbs for Christmas.   The most common bulbs to force are paper whites (narcissus), hyacinths and amarlyllis.   These bulbs you can easily purchase from your local nursery or you can find them in a lot of the chain stores like Home Depot in their plant section.   Instructions will be on the container as to the appropriate time to plant these bulbs indoors.  They should be planted at least 6 weeks before Christmas. They are also great to give as gifts to your gardening friends.   My favourite is the amarlyllis as there is a variety of colours to choose from and they add to the Christmas decor.