Roger Mercer
Dear Roger: Am I too late to plant spring-blooming bulbs? What can I plant now? Also, what do I do with the daffodils and hyacinths I bought that have finished blooming? Do I cut them back? Do I put them in the ground? Alice Caulder, Saxapahaw
Dear Alice: It s too late to plant spring-flowering bulbs. Do not cut back foliage on spring-flowering bulbs. They need to keep that foliage to build up strength for next year s flowers.
Leaving them in their original pots will result in weak bloom next year and few or no blooms in following years.
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Roger Mercer
Spring is at hand.
The flowering apricots have been spectacular this year. They are almost finished blooming in the Cape Fear Botanical Garden and in my garden, too.
A few Asian magnolias with basketball-sized, fragrant flowers are blooming now and many more should be open during the next two weeks.
A dozen spectacular Taiwan cherries are in bloom in my garden with very bright fuchsia pink to red colors.
Five chinese witch hazels are blooming here now and one has already finished.
I d like you to visit and see them all, especially the magnolias. Give me a call to arrange a tour. My address and phone number are at the bottom of this column. Most people have never seen these winter bloomers in flower. I don t know how I would survive the winter without the excitement, color and fragrance they provide.