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A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of planting a few daffodil bulbs in the hostile terrain of northern hemisphere after moving to a new house.

The article provides gardening information for the plant featured on this issue's cover. Autumn crocuses, or Colchicum, are native bulbs from the Mediterranean region are adapted to U.S. zones 4 to 9 and bloom in September and October. The flowers are typically pink on plants that grow 2-3 inches high.

The article focuses on the effect of the weakening rate of American dollar against euro in the foreign exchange market on the prices of bulbs. It notes that such a change in the foreign exchange rate is bad news for gardeners since tulips and other spring bulbs are primarily imported from the Netherlands. It explains that garden centers have had to raise their retail prices because they are paying higher wholesale prices for their bulbs.

The author reports on the American Horticultural Society (AHS) webinar which was held on May 10, 2007. A presentation was watched by participants through the Internet by author Allan Armitage on new and unusual annuals. Another webinar will be held on September 25, 2007 relating to bulbs. Several questions which were asked during the webinar are listed.

The article features the plant easter lily, which can be added to the garden after displaying it in the house. The plant can be removed from the pot when the flowers fade, and placed in a sunny, well-drained location in the garden's border. The bulb should be planted at the same depth it was planted in the pot. This will make the bulb settle back into its normal bloom sequence.

This article provides information on divisions and varieties of daffodils. The Jonquil division has sweet fragrance similar to the original species, Narcissus jonquilla. The Tazetta division is known for its large bulbs which blooms during spring. February Gold is a variety of daffodil that has yellow flowers that bend backwards. Thalia has two to three white flowers per stem.

The article explains the reasons a tulip bulb planted in fall come up and bloom the following spring. Locked inside the simple tulip bulb is everything it needs to bloom. Beneath the papery tunic, called the tunicate, is a compressed stem and tightly packed leaves that protect and store food for the embryo at the core. Moisture activates the bulb after planting in fall, and by December it has established a dense root system and started a shoot sprouting below the soil surface. A crucial period of cold follows.

The article offers news briefs related to floriculture as of October 2006. A report was given by an independent research firm IPSOS that Yellow cut bulb crops like daffodil, iris, and tulip have outold other colors from 2003 to 2005. Dodder in cut flower fields are something to watch out for. DHL has entered an exclusive agreement with GrowerFlowers.com which is an online floral supplier based in Detroit, Michigan to provide overnight delivery for the company's fresh grown bouquets.

Provides information on research regarding the effect of storage temperatures on Oriental lily bulbs. Reason lily shoots are lost during storage; Factor which induces development of new shoots; Recommendation for storing Oriental lily bulbs before freezing.

Provides information on two events at the American Horticultural Society River Farm in Alexandria, Virginia in April 2006. Donation of bulbs to River Farm by Colorblends, Royal Dutch Wholesalers Association for Flowerbulbs and Nurserystock and K. van Bourgondien and Sons for the annual Washington Blooms! celebration; Visitation of River Farm as part of the 73rd annual Historical Garden Week on April 22.

Presents a narrative of the author's experience in working with a builder in constructing a terrace with planting niches in which to naturalize bulbs and perennials. Importance of cooperation between a gardener and a builder; Factors to consider in planting bulbs; Bulb cultivars that are damaged by the summer heat.

Focuses on heirloom bulbs. Description of Tulipa acuminata, Tulipa clusiana and Tulipa marjolettii; Information on the hardiness of the heirloom bulbs; Advantage of heirloom bulbs over wild or species tulips.

Presents tips on protecting garden bulbs from gophers. Use of wire baskets for bulbs; Lining of planting holes with chicken-wire pouch; Use of hardware cloth to line the bottoms of raised beds.

Presents flowering tips for bulbs of the paperwhite Grand Soleil d'Or. Use of a bowl, pebbles, water and a dark spot; Placement of bulbs on the bowl; Flowering time; Web site of Brent and Becky's Bulbs.

Offers tips on managing U.S. gardens during the month of August. Placing orders for spring- and summer-flowering bulbs to plant during the fall; Ways of dividing established peonies or planting new ones; Advantages of sowing seeds of short-season varieties of beets, carrots, radishes, and salad greens; Tips on controlling budworms.

Summer Bulbs grown at the borderline of their hardiness can often be left in the ground over the winter if tucked in with several inches of insulating mulch in the fall. Where the discrepancy between the recognized hardiness of the bulb and the climate of the garden is greater, you must either move the bulbs indoors for the winter or resolve to treat the plants as annuals, buying more next year. When to remove the tender summer bulbs from the garden depends on the species. Generally, those that will tolerate some cold, such as cannas and dahlias, should be left in the garden until blackened by the first light fall frost.

The ease with which tender summer bulbs take to life in pots, urns, tubs, and hanging baskets makes them especially versatile and effective design tools. Because they are portable, potted bulbs can be moved about the garden to furnish color wherever you need it. You can display potted bulbs around the garden as color accents, then move them all to the deck or terrace for the night of a party. Hardy summer bulbs integrate easily into perennial and mixed borders. The tender summer bulbs can also serve a useful function there, by providing plug-in color.

Bulbs are the plant world's manic depressives. They alternate periods of exuberant growth and flowering with periods of complete withdrawal. The trigger that causes a bulb to change from one state to another differs depending on whether that particular specimen belongs to a hardy species or a tender. Making the most of your summer bulb displays depends on understanding the different climates in which your selections were evolved. Hardy bulbs come from climates in which cold winters alternate with hot summers, and it is the onset of a warming or cooling trend in the weather that prompts growth or dormancy.

People think of flower bulbs as spring bloomers so they take care to plant their favorite crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips each fall. But if they stop there, they miss a great opportunity for a full season of flowers. The fact is, there are an equal if not greater number of bulbs that flower in summer, and these deserve to play as significant a role in beds and borders, meadows, rock gardens, and containers as do spring's familiar offerings. Summer-blooming bulbs actually relish hot, humid weather, making them an ideal complement to herbaceous perennials, which typically "aestivate" in July and August, going semi-dormant through the dog days.

Provides information on planting bulbs. Lilies; Spider lilies; Daffodils; Jonquils; Giant alliums; Snowflakes.

Advises gardeners to plant tiger lilies in separate beds, away from other lily bulbs. Tendency of tiger lilies to carry viruses that are fatal to other lilies; Recommended distance.

Excerpts a 1938 article by F.L. Skinner on lilies. Suitability of the bulb plant for Western Canada; Popularity enjoyed by the lily that should equal the Gladiolus; Advantages of the lily over gladiolas; Flowering season.

Presents an article about planting 1,000 bulbs in two days.

Once in the ground, most bulbs require minimal attention, but a little care taken at the time of buying and when planting can help to guarantee a spectacular display. Spring-flowering bulbs are available to buy from about September onwards. It is worth checking garden centres from late August, though most retailers will have the majority of their bulbs on sale during September. Select specimens that are firm and of good size. Check that bulbs are healthy, with no obvious signs of damage or disease. If you can, plant bulbs as soon as purchased. When this is not possible, keep them dry and cool while in store. Most bulbs require a free-draining medium, so incorporate coarse grit on heavy soils. On sandy soils, plant more deeply.

Looks at storage rots of bulbs and tubers. When bulbs or corms are stored over winter they can be susceptible to storage rots. To spot any problems early, check bulbs regularly and remove those that are affected. Hosts; Symptoms; Biology; Control.

Presents techniques for naturalising bulbs in grass. Sections of lawn, banks and difficult-to-manage areas of turf can be transformed into a carpet of colour in spring and autumn by naturalising bulbous plants. With many available to buy and plant now, think where and how you could include them in the garden.

Provides information several bulbs. Grape hyacinth; Striped squill; Snowdrop.

Presents tips in gardening for the month of September. Planting spring-blooming bulbs; Sowing seeds of lettuce and other salad greens; Proper time for harvesting vegetables.

Presents techniques for lifting and drying bulbs. Whether they are taking up valuable space or are in need of winter protection, bulbs need to be lifted at the correct time and stored appropriately.

Answers a question about the difference between a plant bulb and plant seeds.

Provides tips on how to prepare different bulb types in pots. Number of pots needed; Habitat requirements; Flowers suitable with different bulb type.

Provides information on western native buffalo grass, Buchloe dactyloides. Description of the grass; Details of its breeding; How to grow bulbs with the grass.

Illustrates the planting of tulip bulbs.

Offers gardening ideas and tips for the month of January. Selection of paperwhite bulbs; Ways to groom lawns; Dividing deciduous shrubs; Planting shrubs and trees.

Suggests the use of Sidekicks flower seed mix for planting bulbs.

Provides tips on gardening during the 150 to 180 frost-free days in zone three regions of the U.S. Harvesting of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and peas when growth stops; Removal of cold-sensitive bulbs such as dahlias and gladioli from their beds; Softness and readiness of persimmons for harvest; Irrigation of fruit trees and berry bushes to insulate roots.

Features one of the favorite summer bulbs, Bletilla striata. Habit of growth; Bloom period; Companion plants.

Extols the bulbs of winter as talismans of strong magic and hope. In their ability to leap over the season, they imply that the gardener, too, can overcome the icy shackles of winter. Crocuses; Amaryllises; Paperwhite narcissus; What to do with bulbs when the blossoms are gone.

Details a technique in planting bulbs during the autumn season. Potting the bulbs and then sealing them in black plastic bags; Storage area for the plants until they bloom in January through March.

Looks at events relating to gardening in March 1989. "Winter Bulb Display" exhibition at the University of California, Irvine; "Daffodil Convention" of the American Daffodil Society, to be held in San Rafael, California.

Cites the "Bulbs for Your Landscape" workshop, to be held at the Callaway Gardens Education Department in Pine Mountain, Georgia, in February 1989.

Features the Bulb Planting Auger, a tool which uses the power of a drill to dig holes for your bulbs and vegetable seedlings. Description of the tool; Packaging of the tool with a bulb planting guide; Price.

Answers a question about bulbless kohlrabi. Growing tips; Reason for planting an early variety of kohlrabi in late July to mid-August; Effect of excessive amounts of nitrogen on bulb development.

Offers tips for transplanting hardy bulbs. Importance of digging the bulbs when the foliage is about half-yellowed; Separation and immediate replanting of bulbs in well-drained soil enriched with compost and granular organic fertilizer; Importance of setting the proper depth and spacing; Planting of small offset bulbs in nursery bed or garden row.

Presents a response to a letter to the editor concerning the safety of buying bulbs from Europe after the nuclear accident in the Soviet Union in April 1986.

Presents a letter to the editor discussing what problems may occur for Europe's bulb and floral industry as a result of the nuclear accident in Soviet Union in April 1986.