Jen - CA/9 - I planted 'johnny jump-ups' Violas over my Narcissus paper whites last month, just because I thought they'd look pretty together. Apparently (though I didn't know this at the time), the johnny jump-ups return year after year so they'll die off at about the time my Narcissus go dormant, and then they'll come back up together. Thus, I won't have to worry about watering the Violas when the Narcissus shouldn't be, next Summer.

Yes, the roots of the bulbs go much deeper so they do not fight for the same food supply as the ground cover. The ground cover will assist in hiding the faded leaves after blooming.

Our bulbs occasionally arrive early from Europe. Our customers with warmer weather should wait until late in September or early October to plant them (when the ground cools off). Soil temperature below 60 degrees is a good rule of thumb. Store them in your garage or basement. Any place with cool (50-60 degrees F) with good air circulation with do.

If the soil is really hard or clay, first you must condition the soil with a soil conditioner or add Gypsym to the soil. Then, space the plugs about 8-12 inches apart and stagger the next row. Water them in well and keep well watered the first year until they are established.

We can install whatever you prefer. Normally, we use Cedar Mulch, Pine Straw, or rock. Many times this will depend on your budget. We will be happy to give you a FREE estimate.

A minimum of 5 Tulips or Narcissus and at least 10 of the smaller bulbs should be planted together. You can, of course, always plant more than that together. Just keep your spacing in mind as well.

Jean Z - I have just bought trumpet daffodils, mixed crocus, and various colored tulips....can someone please advise me on when I should plant these bulbs. Skip MNZ4 - In Zone 7, you can start planting in mid-October. Tulips can be planted late in the season, as long as the soil can be worked. Here in Zone 4 I have planted tulips at the end of November, with snow on the ground. D. Schuman - Everything except the tulips can go in as soon as it is available in the stores...(mid Sept.

It will vary from team to team. You may (for strategy or time reasons) choose to skip clues. Expect to cover between three and five miles during the course of the game, depending on whether your team solves all of the clues and visits every clue site.

If your log siding is close to the ground, be sure to specify a ground cover that doesn't hold water. Ground cover rocks work great, and your local landscaping supplies dealer will typically have a selection of them in different colors and textures to match your landscaping theme. If you don't use rocks, try to use only inorganic materials and keep them at least 1 foot from the bottom row of log siding. (see design issues above...)

Yes, this is the most important thing to do to ensure good blooms. Bulbs start to form roots right after planting and water is very important to get them started. Also, water the bulbs when it has been dry for a long period of time.

s swoboda - I have a variety of bulbs from hyacinths to daffodils to allums. I'm very excited but nervous about planting. I've been told to plant up to 18 inches deep up here in Maine even if the package says 5 inches. can anyone Help me, please. Skip MNZ4 - As was said in one of Shakespeare's plays, "We come to plant the bulbs, not bury them". 18 inches is way too deep and 10 inches is getting to the outer limit as well.

Skip MNZ4 - You have 8 inches of good soil in Zone 5 so I would think you could plant the bulbs at 6, maybe 7, inches. The problem is not that tulips won't do well in clay but it's that the clay underlayment acts as a barrier to good drainage and if you have really wet conditions this may, indeed, lead to rotting of the bulbs. The Hyacinths can go in at the same depth as the tulips while the Muscari can go in at 5 inches.

Plant them in September. Just a suggestion... It's nice to plant clusters of bulbs (3, 5, etc.), as you will get a better show in the Spring. Soil should be amended with peat moss. Heavy clay soil in the Winter holds water. This will make your bulbs rot. Just a suggestion... Don't plant your bulbs near your annuals, as too much watering will rot the bulbs.

We use the same system that the Indians used to secure their tipi covers - pebble ties. To best explain how this is done, I'll quote from my father's book, "The 20th Century Indian Tipi" During those early days, we experimented with metal grommets and with web loops to attach tie downs around the bottom of the cover. We found that grommets eventually cut through the fabric and consider them to be unsuitable for tipis. Almost all tipi makers agree, and avoid the use of grommets.

If you are a beginner you probably should try to find a bamboo nursery somewhere near you. A local nursery would be familiar with your climate and soil conditions. If you can’t find one, then you can contact one of the suppliers close to you, who are willing to ship bamboo, and ask for advice. Be sure to tell them your hottest and coldest days, what your soil is like and how much rain you get.

We do not encourage this, primarily because the young trees will need to be weeded for the first 3 years. This entails the spraying off of all vegetation from around the base of the tree to allow unhindered growth. There are also issues regarding the woodland ecology; many flower species will be inappropriate in a native wood.

Growers in the Netherlands plant their bulbs in November. They can do this because winters in the Netherlands never really start until mid-December. In regions where the winter starts earlier, it would be advisable to plant tulips in October.

Bulbs need air to breath. They will not grow if stored in an airtight package. Store "breathable" bulbs in room temperature 70-72 F