Master Gardener: It's not too late to plant flower bulbs, but do it soon

There are few happier flowers in the springtime garden than tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, amaryllis and several others that are grown from bulbs. You need to get them in the ground soon – the ideal time to plant is October through November, although I've been successful getting them in as late as January, but I chilled them before planting. There are other types of bulbs, including corms, tubers, tuberous roots and rhizomes explained in this Master Gardener article: https://bit.ly/36FajC3. Today, I'm covering two of the true flower bulbs. The daffodil is great for Placer County because deer leave them alone and they come back year after year. Usually, plant a bulb twice as deep as it is tall, pointy end up, but the daffodil should be planted deeper. I typically plant in groups of five to seven. I've also dug trenches and strewn them across an area about three feet by seven feet. Either way, they naturalize and come back year after year. My favorite springtime flower is the tulip, but deer love these. One year, deer chomped off the top of the emerging blooms. When they finally opened, they looked like someone had taken pinking shears to the flowers with teeth marks around each top. There are more than 3,000 registered types of tulips, in 14 categories, according to FTD https://www.ftd.com/blog/share/types-of-tulips. One of my favorites is Triumph, which opens widely every day and then closes a bit in the evening. But once you cut it, it stays open and looks so happy. Another favorite is Queen of Night, which is as close to black as a tulip can get. It's really a very deep maroon. It looks stunning with white tulips, and I mix it with oranges. When you plant, make sure these flowers will get at least six hours of sun each day. Plant in well-drained soil. Loosen the soil a bit past root depth and then mix some compost into your planting soil with supplemental fertilizing. Test your soil to determine which supplements are needed – possibly bone meal or phosphorous. Line your planting holes with chicken wire if gophers and squirrels are a problem. Water tulips when planting but then leave them alone until spring. Do water your flowers in the garden during their growing season, although my naturalized daffodils never needed water. Once the blooms are spent, deadhead them. Don't cut back green leaves but rather leave them until brown. The leaves help store energy for following years. Over time, many bulbs will multiply, with daffodils being the best, although it is best to divide the clumps of bulbs every few years. Bring springtime joy by planting bulbs right now. And for next year, check out bulb providers and consider planting for early, mid and late season. It's exciting to choose how to extend spring flower season.