You may have noticed that a few of the early spring bulbs are already starting to peek out a little bit. I have already noticed some winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) and netted iris (Iris reticulata) showing a hint of color when growing near buildings. This might be a good time to go out into the yard and hunt for these early treasures.

Early March is also a good time to start thinking ahead to another type of bulb, the summer bulbs. Summer bulbs include caladiums, gladiolus, elephant ears and many others. These are bulbs that are not winter hardy and which must be stored indoors every winter. We can't plant these outside until after the frost is over, but we can get then started indoors so they are more mature when we move them outside. These bulbs should be available soon in local stores so be looking for them. For more on summer bulbs go to http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/lake/downloads/8783.pdf