Now’s the Time to Buy your Bulbs

Spring-flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, etc.) are beginning to arrive in garden centers throughout the Northern Hemisphere and I suggest buying them without delay. That’s because, of course, you will have a better choice if you buy your bulbs soon after they arrive in the store, but even more importantly, also because the quality of the bulb diminishes rapidly when it is stored at high temperatures, as is the case in most stores. They really should display them in a refrigerated room, which keeps the bulbs from drying out too rapidly. It is therefore better to buy early and store them yourself in a cool spot at home (a basement, garage or shed) if you feel it is too early to plant them. In most climates, you’ll be planting them soon anyway, some time between late September to late November, when the soil outdoors begins to cool.