Today I had the opportunity to plant bulbs!! It's exciting to me because in the South most of them are annuals, so I never bothered. I planted crocus, grape hyacinth, tulips and something called "checkered lily" which is pretty awesome. I can't wait until spring now. lol There is nothing more theraputic to me than digging in the dirt.

The lilies I planted in the spring are about done and they didn't bloom much this season. The daisies are going crazy. I planted both in late June, so I'm not surprised that the lilies are slow.

Next spring with the bulbs (yellow, pink, purple and white) will be blooming at the same time the shrubs in the bed. Don't know their name, but they have beautiful pink blossoms that are short-lived. Then the lilies and daisies will take over for the entire summer. Woooohooo! I've taken a dead zone full of old dirt (other than the bushes and three small trees) and turned it into a great garden.

I am a happy camper today. Now for the mulch we are awaiting delivery any minute. It will be a late work day, but satisfying.

PS. a pox on the squirrels that may try to dig up my bulbs!  lololol

What happened to the four letter word you were posting in another thread?  and can youleave your bulbs in if the groiund freezes?  when I lived in New England I had to dig up my bulbs and store them until spring.  Even in Maryland I have to dig up the rhiazomes ( cannas) or they will freeze but I can leave the daffodils and asiatic lillies in ( although my dog disagrees).  When you refer to the annuals in the South do you mean bulbs?  If so, maybe they are only annuals because they freeze over the winter- if you dig them up and plant them back in spring they bloom every year.

LOL, no snow. Maybe some flurries overnight yet as it will be at freezing and we've had rain all day.

Bulbs like tulips, crocus and grape hyacinth actually prefer the freezing temps and we get a lot of snow cover for insulation, but the southern climate is too mild in the winter to allow them to set. I couldn't be bothered since I had so many other plants to choose from down there.  I was told that daffodils are more like biennials here, depending on our weather.  I'll report back in the spring and let you know how they came up.  Maybe even post some pics. I'll be heartbroken if they don't do well.

One other thing about tulips etc in the south. You buy them in the fall, refridgerate them all winter so that they stay cold long enough, then plant them in the spring. Dig them up and do it all over again.

I don't grow tulips.  In NE we didn't keep them in fridge, just left them in a bag of leaves or grass clippings in the basement.  My crocuses bloom every year, I don't dig them up.  Sometimes the ground freezes, sometimes it doesn't.  Hyacinth is very popular here and we don't dig them up either.

Exactly! In New England you have extended periods of cold weather, so you don't need to use the fridge. In Alabama, winter is about 3 months long with mild temps at that. Even a basement wouldn't be cool enough for long enough to set the bulbs  Hell, the ground freeze line in Alabama is 6-10 inches, but 5-8 FEET here (for placement of water lines etc) LOL.  

Hyacinths are picky plants. They like cold, but not too cold and they tolerate warmth, but not too warm. They will come back in the south if the winter has enough cold days and the spring is not too hot. Grape hyacinth (which is not really a hyacinth at all) is not as picky. It will grow in most any climate, zones 3-9!!  It's more about long cold periods than it is about freezing with most bulbs.