Here in the Midwestern states, gardeners can look at their calendars and know that spring is right around the corner but if we walk outdoors, it stills feels like mid-winter. If you're a person who likes four distinctive seasons, the Midwest is for you  As we approach the end of February,  Midwesterners look forward to spring flowering bulbs turning into spring flowers. We planted our goodies last fall and I, for one, can't wait to see the tulips, crocus and many other planted goodies start to pop through the soil.

There are some tips from early spring to after your flowers have faded to help you maintain a healthy plant year after year. If you happen to have one of those seasons when your tulips have zoomed through the soil as the season was unusually warm and then you get that unexpected cold spell, there are a couple of tasks that need to be completed so you can still enjoy the coming tulip blooms. If your spring is unseasonably warm, please make sure you throughly water your bulb beds. Also, if that cold spell is setting in, you can cover your tulips, daffodils, etc. just as you would any other plant for protection from the cold. Tulips can tolerate a cold spell and still reward you with beautiful blooms. If the cold spell hits at the bloom period and the plants were not covered, you may lose the current years' blooms but it won't harm the bulbs for next year.

The hardest task for us is once the plants have flowered and the leaves start to deteriorate is to just leave them alone. Even though the temptation is great to cut the leaves down to ground level to clean up the bed, don't do it. The leaves feed the bulb so it can return next spring and flower again for you.  Wait at least 6 weeks after the blooming has ceased before you go cutting those leaves off. Once the leaves are completely brown, they are then ready for a garden clean up detail.

Spring is almost here and the color show is approaching; my wife and I can't wait!