Walking by the beautiful fall display filled with colorful packages of spring flowering bulbs is like a magnet to many gardeners. Further into the garden center are a variety of plants marked down to irresistible prices. Somehow running in to pick up just one thing has bloomed into a cartful of spring flowering bulbs and potted plants. Once home, the plants are put to the side and the bulbs are placed in the garage with nothing but the best intentions to plant them, and soon.
Fast forward and it’s December; there is a fine layer of dust muting the colorful bulb packaging and the pots of plants are nestled in a thick blanket of fallen leaves. The leaves are also caught in the overgrown shrub growing near the house. This shrub was going to be pruned last summer but it wasn’t. Usual questions running through the mind of the procrastinator gardener are: Where did the time go? Is it too late to plant? Can I prune now? The good news is that it’s not too late for most of these tasks.
Gardening in Zone 7 provides grace because rarely does the ground truly freeze and in the random years the soil does freeze, it’s typically after the new year. Just to be clear, I am not talking about a 1” deep crusty surface layer of frozen soil; I am referring to hard, frozen ground a few inches deep.
If bulbs are planted by the new year, the plants will bloom on time this spring. Roots of bulbs typically begin to grow in early January so the later you wait, the later they will bloom. A time-saving bulb planting method I use is to plant them in clusters, which I call bouquets. With this method I plant bulbs in mixed groups comprised of 3-10 bulbs per hole. I dig a wide hole only to the depth defined on the bulb package. A quick side note, many bulbs have retractable roots which will pull them down to the correct depth but nothing pulls them up. I make my holes about 6” wide to cluster together 3-5 bulbs and wider still for larger “bouquets” of bulbs. Always make a hole wide enough so the bulbs are not stacked in the hole however they can touch side to side. Back fill the hole, water, and cover with mulch about 1-2” thick. Planting in clusters will speed up planting and come spring, you will enjoy a bouquet of blooms in the garden.
As for the potted plants, it’s smarter to get them planted as soon as possible for a few reasons. If left unprotected the pots could freeze solid during a course of very frigid winter nights. This would put an end to your bargain purchases. Considering roots grow when the soil temperatures remain above 40 degrees, it’s possible for the roots to grow through most of the winter in zone 7. These new roots will prepare a plant for the upcoming summer heat far better than those planted in the spring. Don’t forget to water well and to apply mulch 2-3” deep in the shape of a donut, avoid mounding it up against the plant, too.
Let’s tackle that overgrown shrub. Please sharpen your clippers so the tool works and you do not, then put on your gloves and really look at the overgrown plant. Yes, it is too late to prune it back but a few cuts can be made now. Those cuts should focus on safety and security and protecting property such as removing a branch scratching the house in the wind or blocking a walkway. Leave the remaining pruning cuts until late February or early March. When the time comes remove only ¼ of the mass of the plant to prevent the plant from responding to over pruning by sending up water sprouts or suckers which will bring the plant back to where you started.
To battle procrastination, I like to make notes in my calendar to remind me when certain tasks need to be addressed. The other tool I use is to set a deadline. That said, I hope I have given you some deadlines to aid you with tackling these projects. Remember, procrastination can continue until the last week of the year to get them done!
Happy Gardening, Peggy
