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Spring show
Plant bulbs in November and December, when the soil is at a constantly cool temperature, to get ready for spring.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
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Color explosion
Shop for the biggest tulip bulbs you can find to guarantee a bigger impact when your tulips bloom.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
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Winter blooms
Use water without chlorine to keep your African violets blooming through the winter months.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
Most hybrid tulips are ephemeral guests in the Southern garden, blooming for just one spring before fading into memory. Because of this fleeting flowering presence, many South Carolina gardeners reluctantly decline to plant hybrid tulips in the fall.
But I have a different thought: Just as summer annuals that are one-hit wonders are well worth the effort, so, too, are tulips. And there’s nothing complicated in making their single springtime show a stunner.
For starters, buy tulip bulbs. This is an obvious beginning, but shop like a Texan—go for the biggest bulbs in bins or bags. The simple reason? Larger tulip bulbs produce better displays.
Now, wait. To bloom properly, hybrid tulips should be planted in soil with a constant wintertime temperature of 60 degrees or lower, meaning gardeners in the Upstate and Midlands can hold off planting until at least late November. Coastal growers should hang on until around the middle to end of December. In the meantime, chill—not you, your bulbs. Start the clock ticking on their required cold exposure by storing them in mesh or vented bags in the refrigerator until planting time. Be sure to keep these sleeping beauties away from ripening fruit, which emits ethylene that could be detrimental to future flowers.
While waiting, gardener, prepare thy growing ground. In a sunny site, till or dig beds at least a foot deep, and add plenty of soil conditioner or compost to fluff up the dirt. This improves drainage, which lessens the chances of bulbs rotting.
If you are a compulsive fertilizer flinger, keep in mind hybrid tulip bulbs are already chock-full of nutrients that feed the plants while they develop over the winter for their one-and-only flower show, so sling away only if it will make you feel better.
Bulbs should be planted at least 6 to 8 inches deep. This will put them in an underground zone of constant cool that hybrid tulips need to encourage blooming. Adding a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch will insulate maturing bulbs from the unwanted warmth of a mild winter.
Come spring, when your tulip beds explode with color, slap yourself on the back for being such a great gardener, then grab a camera to capture all those fleeting moments!
In November’s garden
- Enjoy blooming African violets in the winter? Make their displays even better by wetting down their pots using water without chlorine, which can result in leaf spots and fewer blossoms. Since chlorine easily dissipates, just fill a bottle with tap water, set it aside for a day and then use it. If you have hard (alkaline) water, you can prevent raising the pH in the soil of acidloving African violets by using distilled water or rainwater to irrigate them.
- Because they’ll get nailed by the first frosts, prune back your herbaceous perennials. Be sure to mark the spot where they’re sleeping, so they won't be dug up next spring.
- The beginning of November is the time to plant paperwhite narcissus in pots to have them ready as blooming gifts for December holidays.
- If you still have culinary herbs such as chives, rosemary and basil in the garden, gather sprigs to make bottles of herb vinegars or oils, which make great holiday gifts for the gardeners on your list. Get instructions from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s recipes for herb-infused oils and vinegars in South Carolina Living’s November 2017 SC Recipe column.
- Without insects and seed-producing plants as food sources, the coming winter season can be tough on birds, so keep the feeder well supplied with seed and suet, and change the water in the birdbath at least once a week.
L.A. JACKSON is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.