You Bet Your Garden

Don't be a dim bulb! Plan now for a bright spring!
By Mike McGrath

Mike McGrath You know what's coming: December days when it gets dark by lunchtime; January nights so cold the streetlights go out; 600 pounds of dirty ice still welded to your car's wheel wells on Valentine's day.

And then, just when it seems winter will never end -- boom! Color explodes up through the soil to rescue your spirits with beautiful floods of flowers. First the tiny snowdrops, Glory of Snow, crocuses (the flowers of spring!), anemones and purplish-blue grape hyacinth (the bulb you should always plant too many of).

Then daffodils and jonquils bring light to your sad and shady spots. Then there are tulips of all shapes and sizes, from guaranteed-to-return "species" tulips (the wild originals!) to ones whose ka-razy flowers look like tropical birds. Then, the big deer-proof finale: fritillaria's lovely bells and ornamental allium's giant puffballs!

It's your choice, folks: spring bulbs or Prozac. Now, it's not time to plant them yet. But it is time to order, so you'll have the exact bulbs you want, ready to tuck into the earth between Halloween and Thanksgiving. (Wait till then to buy and you'll be sifting through dusty wrappers at the bottom of a box searching for the sad little jonquil everybody else took a pass on.)

Here are two sources to get you started:

On the net: For the official Web site of the Netherlands Bulb Information Center, go to www.bulb.com. They don't sell directly, but the site lists lots of folks who do, plus tons of information too: If you have a question about bulbs, it'll likely be answered here.

Local: There's a prominent bulb catalog company right in our area, the Charles H. Mueller, Co. at River and Phillips Mill Roads in the New Hope area. Phone number: (215) 862-2033, toll-free: 1-800-267-6235. Order over the phone and pick the bulbs up there a few days later, drop in and order and they'll ship 'em to you, or just do it all over the phone.

You Bet Your Garden can be heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on WHYY 91FM.

Information about the program and more of Mike's gardening tips can be found at You Bet Your Garden online.