Chilling With Spring Bulbs

November 6, 2004

By Mary Giambalvo, Master Gardener

While we gardeners love to grow all kinds of flora, many of us take perverse pleasure in planting a nice stand of whatever would not naturally thrive on the Central Coast. Often that means loading up on tulips and hyacinths, those lovely forecasters of spring in other, colder climates. If this is you, early fall is the season to get your supply.

While daffodils, freesia and other bulbs, many from South Africa, are pleased with our climate and multiply year after year, tulips and hyacinths require a bit of planning. Occasionally, we can find pre-chilled bulbs in the nursery, but the selection is limited.

Tulips and hyacinths need to begin their coastal existence in the refrigerator, tucked in among the leftovers. For at least 6 to 8 weeks, this is home to the fresh, healthy bulbs you ordered or bought locally. It is a good idea to keep them in a container with a lid or a closed paper bag, away from fruit that can retard their blooming and away from frosty corners that could freeze them.

At planting time, before winter sets in, the bulbs need to go into the well-amended fertile soil prepared for them. They can be soaked in water for a few minutes while you dig holes about 6 inches deep for big bulbs and three inches for small ones.

Be sure to insert the bulbs pointed end up. This tidbit comes to you via unhappy personal experience. While the bulbs can be planted closely to make a pleasing cluster of bloom, it is best if they do not touch each other.

With luck, the winter rains will do the watering, supplemented by a little help from the hose during long, dry stretches.

In early spring comes the reward of brilliant, often fragrant blooms for a short time of gardening pleasure.  Although my tulips spend far more time chilling in the refrigerator than they do in actual bloom, I cannot resist them year after year.

Those bulbs that require chilling need replacing next year with fresh stock. Occasionally I will have a second year crop come up, but the results are vastly inferior to their first year.

So, intrepid flower lover, your first gardening duty is to clear a spot in your refrigerator and get ready for a riot of spring bloom.

University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers can provide additional gardening information upon request .Call the San Luis Obispo office at 781-5939 on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 to 5 PM. You may also call the Paso Robles office at 237-3100 on Wednesdays from 9 AM to 12 PM. The San Luis Obispo Master Gardeners website is at http://groups.ucanr.org/slomg/. Questions can be e-mailed to: mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu.