Calhoun County Gardening – Mark Your Calendar for October: Essential Tips for Planting Tulips, Pansies, and Bloody Dock

Calhoun County, AL – Mark on your calendar October, when temperatures are 60°. Why? Because I plant my tulips, pansies and bloody dock leaves that time of the year. I plant my favorite tulips called Parrot Tulips. Parrot Tulips are two-toned and hint at a bird-like color combination. Several colors to choose from at the big box stores. Or you can order online.  Never plant winter bulbs in a low spot where cannas love to have wet feet. Tulips rot easily, plant them in raised beds or pots or on a hillside. I use a handful of bone meal powder in the hole of each bulb. After I plant the tulips in the ground or inside pots, I add winter greenery called Bloody Dock. The bloody dock is a type of spicy spinach. Bloody  Dock tolerates winter temperatures down to 5°. Their leaves are green with a deep red vein. It is perennial. Big box stores in their greenhouses sell it with pansies and other winter-type choices. Winter ornamental cabbages are also sold with Bloody Dock.  Bloody Dock gives my tulip beds some cold-weather greenery. I also plant my Pansy plants on top of the buried tulip bulbs. In the spring the tulips will shoot up through the colorful winter pansies. I keep my winter plants watered weekly if it does not rain. I hope you enjoy winter gardening! Research: The best time to plant tulips in zone 7b is in the fall before the first frost. This is usually in October. Here are some tips for planting tulips in zone 7b: Plant when the soil is cool: Plant the bulbs when the soil temperature is around 60°F at a depth of 6 inches. Plant the bulbs before the ground freezes or before a hard frost. Plant pointy side up: Tulips have flattened bottoms, so plant them with the pointy side facing up.

Betty Clark is a contributing writer. She has been an organic gardener since 1998. The signature flower she grows is Dahlias. She has a straw bale garden, raised bed garden, and in-ground garden. Both her surnames are agricultural farming families (8 generations). Her hobbies include ancestry research, antiques, continued education classes, and workshops. She also has a background in marketing & promotions including expos. To contact Betty Clark with gardening questions: bettyclark2151959@gmail.com

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