how does one plant stuff (totally clueless here)

so i used to do alot of gardening when i was like 12 years old with my Grandfather..
now i have a brand new house of my own.. and can't remember anything he taught me...

so i want tulips.. is that possible? i want a few small things in front of the house .. and i love tulips and lilacs.. but i dont know if that works..

can i put them in full sun? b/c thats what the front of my house is where i want to start the gardening thing....
i have some tools.. just need to go get bulbs? right...
if anyone can offer assistance that would be great.. or point me to a site that gives me this info.. i google stufff but all the info is overwhelming...
thanks ladies

Re: how does one plant stuff (totally clueless here)

Buy the tulip bulbs now, but don't plant them until the end of Sept/start of Oct. They will bloom in the spring - just keep in mind that if you have bunnies, they eat the bulbs, but if you surround them with daffodils, they should remain safe cause bunnies hate them (in my experience).

Then just make sure the area you plant them in gets plenty of water and sun light and a little fertlizer come spring wouldn't hurt.

Re: how does one plant stuff (totally clueless here)

Tulips and lilacs both do best in full sun, so you're in luck there!

You will probably have a hard time finding lilac bushes now in most nurseries, so that might have to wait until the spring (though if you do find them it should be fine to plant them now).

The tulip bulbs will go in in late September/early October. Just ask the nursery where you buy them for instructions.

Good luck!

Re: how does one plant stuff (totally clueless here)

yeah im excited.. i dont know how they will look in the same bed but its nice to know they will both live (if i dont kill them!)

any recommended types of tulips? are there a million diff types? or can i just pick any by color

Re: how does one plant stuff (totally clueless here)

Check out John Scheepers for info and types of bulbs. I've purchased hundreds from them.

Red is the most popular, so if you're going to order them, order now. I think Darwins are very popular too because they're tall and hardy.

Ditto on what everyone else has said. I usually dig a trench and bend some chicken wire over the top and sides of the bulbs. Daffodils are a good deterrent too but they might not stop squirrels & bunnies from digging.

I looooove spring bulbs. Oh and you can plant them as late as you want, just don't wait until the ground freezes! I plant in late October.

Re: how does one plant stuff (totally clueless here)

2 keys for planting bulbs

make sure you plant them at exactly the proper depth (it will mention that on the packaging)

make sure they are not upsidedown!!!
(it's not obvious to everyone which side is 'up', so make sure you know before you plant)

Also, in the springtime, they will pop up and bloom. do NOT mow down the plants after the blooms have faded. You have to let the plant get a lot of nourishing sunlight to refuel for the following spring. They will die back themselves....