SPRING BULBS

By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Never mind that the fall foliage is at its peak; never mind that Old Man Winter is about to blanket us with snow -- gardeners everywhere are thinking of spring.
Just step into any local garden center, and you yourself might catch a little spring fever.
Hard is the heart that can resist a golden daffodil, a lovely lavender hyacinth or a flaming red tulip, even if those pretty posies are just ugly, onion-like bulbs right now.
Every gardener knows that come April and May, those lumpy, bumpy little bulbs will blossom into breathtaking beauties. All it takes is a little dirt, a little water and a long winter's nap.
Exciting time: And with bulb growers developing snazzy new colors and stunning new varieties every year, it's even more exciting than ever to pick out a package or two of bulbs.
So what is popular this year? What springtime bulb should no gardener be without?
Kelly Latham, who has worked at Adgate's Garden Center in Cortland for three years, said although new colors and varieties abound, most of her customers are more into tradition than novelty.
Latham said that tulip bulbs are this season's biggest sellers, followed by daffodils and hyacinths.
"Red and pink tulips are most popular, followed by tulip varieties with fringed or variegated leaves. Miniature tulips that measure about six inches tall are also in demand," Latham said.
Top sellers: Don Kushner, of Kushner's Landscaping and Garden Center in Poland, also said tulips are his top sellers, especially miniature varieties in red and yellow.
"People like to use them in borders," he said.
As for daffodils, traditional yellow wins out every year, according to both Latham and Kushner. Kushner said this is because people often plant daffodils in large quantities, and therefore, cost is a factor.
"They just want something inexpensive and traditional if they are planting 50 or 100 bulbs. The fancy varieties in all sorts of different colors cost more," he said.
Latham said Adgate's customers will pay a little more for daffodils with orange centers and snowy white daffodils, although most also prefer standard yellow.
When it comes to hyacinths, Latham said most gardeners buy for fragrance rather than for appearance.
"There aren't too many varieties of hyacinths that don't have a strong fragrance," Latham said. "It is their fragrance that appeals the most to people."
Crocus bulbs also sell well at Adgate's, especially a variety of crocus called a fall crocus.
"You plant the fall crocus bulbs late in September or very early in October, and they bloom by the end of October or early in November.They will bloom until the snow comes. It's a way to have flowers in winter," Latham said.
Fall crocus bulbs produce pink flowers that are larger than the traditional crocus blossoms that poke through the snow at the first hint of spring.
An alternative: Latham said gardeners who want to steer away from traditional tulip and daffodil bulbs often opt for alliums. With their tall, baseball-sized, bluish-purple blossoms, giant alliums make a bold splash in the late springtime garden.
Latham said alliums sell consistently, but are not staple items in most springtime gardens.
For those who would rather die than be bulb conformists, bulb manufactures have developed daffodils in colors such as orange-red and lime green, tulips that are the size of peonies and tulips in unusual color combinations such as purple and green.
Latham and Kushner said the color varieties are endless, but often local garden centers don't carry the most unusual varieties of bulbs, and those who want them have to order from a catalog.
Whether your bulbs are traditional favorites or something on the cutting edge, their growing requirements are one and the same.
First make sure your soil is up to snuff.
Loosen heavy clay soil by adding sand and humus, add 10 to 18 inches of gravel to extremely wet soil and add humus to extremely sandy soil.
Do it right: Although bulbs will do well in full-sun or partial shade, they must be planted at the correct depth, so read the package directions carefully to learn how deep of a hole you should dig. (Different types require different depths.)
After bulbs bloom, you have the option of leaving them in the ground, digging them up and dividing them or digging them up and storing them someplace cool until fall.
In this part of the country it isn't necessary to dig bulbs up to ensure they bloom again. This is because Ohio and Pennsylvania winters are cold and harsh enough to convince bulbs of the change in seasons. (In southern climates bulbs have to be tricked into believing they are passing through a frosty season of blizzards.)
If you do decide to dig up bulbs or to divide them, wait until the tops die out and are dry and brown.