How to Force Bulbs

When you "force" bulbs to bloom out of season, you are using a "technique that imitates the environmental conditions that bulbs encounter outdoors, thereby tricking them into flowering earlier," as Marie Iannotti puts it. So my question to you is: Are you feeling tricky? About.com's Gardening Guide discusses how to force bulbs in detail, in case you'd like some tips for pulling the wool over Mother Nature's eyes.

As for me, I'll leave the trickery to others -- at least until someone finds a way to trick Old Man Winter into staying away. No, in fall I'm much more interested in planting bulb plants in the ground, in anticipation of spring. This, despite the fact that perhaps the last thing on our minds this time of year is a spring flower display. Many of us become too absorbed with fall foliage or Halloween decorations in autumn to think ahead to spring.

But while it's tempting to immerse ourselves in autumn's abundance and leave next year to next year, fall is the time to plant those bulbs that will yield such rich floral color once spring does return. A little foresight goes a long way....