Planting bulbs is the work of hope and always thrilling.
Hello, again!
Some stories are just so good, they bear repeating!
I had just graduated from Wichita High School North in the spring of 1973. My summer destination was to be Eikenlaan 12, Bennebroek, Holland. My parents, along with the Heemskerks (Jon Heemskerk was our Dutch Bulb supplier at the time), had arranged for myself and their son Niels to trade places for the summer. I’d go and work at DeVroomen Bulb Export in Sassenheim NL, and Niels would come work at the garden center that summer. We both had great experiences. Niels went with my family to Minneapolis for an industry meeting, I got to vacation in Friesland (in the northern part of the country), with the Heemskerks. Traveling the canals of the country was a highlight of the trip. I’m sure Niels loved the corn fields of Iowa just as much!!
A few of the experiences that I enjoyed that summer were things like plain yogurt, and watching Jackie Stewart win the F1 race at Zandvoort where his countryman and future F1 champion James Hunt scored his first podium finish. We also rode mopeds into Haarlem and took the train to Paris, which are great memories as well.
I learned much about the bulb industry that summer. From receiving the newly harvested bulbs in large wicker baskets, sorting the bulbs and preparing them for storage and then later packaging for export around the globe, I had a hand in the whole process. I have always enjoyed traveling to the Netherlands and in more recent years, I've stayed with our present bulb supplier, Piet Stuifbergen, and we've enjoyed touring the countryside on our bicycles.
Now is the best time to plant spring flowering bulbs for a show of color early next spring. With early blooming bulbs such as snowdrops and crocus to later varieties such as late blooming tulips, color is available from late February into May. All colors of the rainbow are available, as are unique striped varieties. By planting our cold tolerant pansies in coordinating colors, next spring you'll have a show of color like you haven't seen before.
I always plant bulbs in groupings for the best show of color. Depending on the variety, space can be as close as 2-3” for crocus and smaller bulbs to 6” apart for tulips and daffodils. Planting depth is important as well. A good rule of thumb is the depth of the hole is 3 times the diameter of the bulb. Crocus would be planted 3-4” deep, tulips 5-6” and daffodils 6-8” deep. Here are some other great bulb planting tips. Piet always stresses that watering the bulbs thoroughly at planting time is important for establishment. Hi-Yield Dutch Bulb Food is specially formulated for bulb establishment and is easily incorporated into the soil at planting time.
The weather is great for all fall planting, come visit the stores today!!
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
Some stories are just so good, they bear repeating!
I had just graduated from Wichita High School North in the spring of 1973. My summer destination was to be Eikenlaan 12, Bennebroek, Holland. My parents, along with the Heemskerks (Jon Heemskerk was our Dutch Bulb supplier at the time), had arranged for myself and their son Niels to trade places for the summer. I’d go and work at DeVroomen Bulb Export in Sassenheim NL, and Niels would come work at the garden center that summer. We both had great experiences. Niels went with my family to Minneapolis for an industry meeting, I got to vacation in Friesland (in the northern part of the country), with the Heemskerks. Traveling the canals of the country was a highlight of the trip. I’m sure Niels loved the corn fields of Iowa just as much!!
A few of the experiences that I enjoyed that summer were things like plain yogurt, and watching Jackie Stewart win the F1 race at Zandvoort where his countryman and future F1 champion James Hunt scored his first podium finish. We also rode mopeds into Haarlem and took the train to Paris, which are great memories as well.
I learned much about the bulb industry that summer. From receiving the newly harvested bulbs in large wicker baskets, sorting the bulbs and preparing them for storage and then later packaging for export around the globe, I had a hand in the whole process. I have always enjoyed traveling to the Netherlands and in more recent years, I've stayed with our present bulb supplier, Piet Stuifbergen, and we've enjoyed touring the countryside on our bicycles.
Now is the best time to plant spring flowering bulbs for a show of color early next spring. With early blooming bulbs such as snowdrops and crocus to later varieties such as late blooming tulips, color is available from late February into May. All colors of the rainbow are available, as are unique striped varieties. By planting our cold tolerant pansies in coordinating colors, next spring you'll have a show of color like you haven't seen before.
I always plant bulbs in groupings for the best show of color. Depending on the variety, space can be as close as 2-3” for crocus and smaller bulbs to 6” apart for tulips and daffodils. Planting depth is important as well. A good rule of thumb is the depth of the hole is 3 times the diameter of the bulb. Crocus would be planted 3-4” deep, tulips 5-6” and daffodils 6-8” deep. Here are some other great bulb planting tips. Piet always stresses that watering the bulbs thoroughly at planting time is important for establishment. Hi-Yield Dutch Bulb Food is specially formulated for bulb establishment and is easily incorporated into the soil at planting time.
The weather is great for all fall planting, come visit the stores today!!
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
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