Brent & Becky's Blog — planting bulbs

Possibly one of the most gifted flowers of the holiday season, Amaryllis (also known as Hippeastrum) is a winter stunner that does a fantastic job of transforming our indoor space into an oasis even when the weather is cold. With incredible star-shaped flowers available in a dizzying array of colors, it’s no wonder they’re so beloved—there’s an Amaryllis for every aesthetic, making it easy to show mom, sis, and even Uncle Steve that you care. Here are some of our favorites:   Amaryllis for Holiday Decor If your goal is picture-perfect blooms to complete your holiday decorating, then these Amaryllis...

Right now, it’s winter prep time for us in the mid-Atlantic. As much as we don’t want to hear it, we’re fixing to get a frost soon. But, while it may mean we’ll want to be spending more time inside away from the cold, there’s still plenty of care that needs to be done in the garden before the snow falls. Here’s what you’ll need to do:   Feed Your Soil Now is the ideal time to prep your beds, so let’s start by feeding your soil! Remember, though, it doesn’t want a “red bull” chemical fertilizer—it wants organic matter. Organic matter, like...

  When fall comes around, and spring-flowering bulbs are ready to make their way into the ground, hands down one of the most commonly asked questions for new bulb gardeners is “how deep do I plant?” And with a quick Google search yielding a whopping 30 million answers in seconds, we can’t blame them for being a little confused. Thankfully, though, the answer isn’t nearly as complicated as it may seem.    How Deep to Plant Bulbs When planting bulbs, the trick is to plant them not so deeply that it takes them too long to appear in spring, but...

  As long as we have been planting fall bulbs, we have been bothered again and again by those not-so-friendly visitors: squirrels. Anxious for a nibble of our freshly-planted tulips and crocuses, they ransack our fall plantings and leave us empty-handed in spring. So, what do we do to protect them?   Why Squirrels Eat Bulbs While their ruthless scavenging may be frustrating to wake up to the day after careful planting, the truth is, their excavating escapades are actually far more than just a tasty treat. In fact, bulbs are one of the few ways that squirrels can get...

  Tulips are the darlings of our spring gardens, but as a fall-planted bulb, now is when we need to start thinking about them. Planting in the fall is like an investment in the future of your garden, and you’ll be amazed by all the rewards popping out of the ground when the weather warms in the spring!   Pairing With Tulips While tulips create a spectacle in and of themselves, pairing them with other blooms can create an even more impressive display. You might want to choose plants that compliment any feature of your tulips — their color, their...