It is best to plant bulbs when the ground cools to about 60 or so, but even if it has not in some areas, autumn is here and soon the colder weather will set in. The idea is to get the bulb in the ground and established before a winter freeze. You have plenty of time in most areas, but should get the ground ready now. If your bulbs are starting to sprout, they need to go in right away. Bulbs are living things even in dormancy; and must be cared for properly. Never cut the foliage off. This is what feeds the bulb. Go ahead and plant, foliage and all, about 6 inches deep in mild weather areas; and even a bit deeper in very cold weather areas.

If it were me: I'd remove the weed cloth now. I've not seen it do anything good for the development of a good soil structure in clay. Gravel: I'd be thinking a mix of sizes rather than a single screen size. My preference would be for 2,5,7mm which can be useful when it gets dug through the soil/clay. As I'm using it as a mulch I wouldn't put it on any thicker than 2". Less could be better.(Sand is a no-no. It's like uncreamed butter and sugar in an angel cake...). As I'm planting into clay, and if I didn't have too many bulbs, I'd dig out circular shapes for my patches of colour to the depth for my zone and a little extra. Into the extra I'd put a layer of about an inch of the 2mm grit so the roots can get started into a better-drained area. If I could, I'd get a grit that stood out in colour from my soil. Later, when I come to lift the bulbs, I'd be able to see when I've 'hit bedrock' and I'd know to move carefully so I didn't harm my bulbs. Because I'm wanting to improve my soil over time, I'd add some agricultural lime - about an ounce to the square yard. Once I'd covered my bulbs I'd ensure that I stayed off that ground to prevent it from compacting. That's particularly important over times in the year when it's wet. The sad-looking bulbs: I'd plant them up in containers and I'd plant them quite shallowly. Barely covered, and in a free-draining mix - even 50:50 small grit and potting mix with no peat. I wouldn't want the water to stay close to them and I'd want whatever roots they can produce to have lots of encouragement to forage. (I'd even rescue the ones I tossed and give them a go, too.) Those containers I'd put where they get not much more than a couple of degrees of frost, moderate water, and good sunlight. A bit later on, when I see green noses above the soil/gravel (yes they DO come up through gravel) I'd feed them at the prescribed amount with either some potato or tomato food - powdered so it slowly breaks down, and lightly stir it in to the surface of the soil/gravel. Just once. With the damaged bulbs - some might flower. Some will die. Some might only put up leaves and split into smaller bulbs. Which is fine, because I can grow on those daughter bulbs for a year or two to give me 'free bulbs'. Any with streaky leaves I'd dig up and burn because they might have a virus and I'd rather be safe than sorry. All it needs is one travelling aphid and it could spread. No thanks. And next year, when the bulbs are finished for the year, I'd be putting my grass clippings onto the garden strip with a light sprinkling of lime, followed by as many autumn leaves as I could scrounge. Welcome mats for the earthworms. As an aside - if you do use the smaller grit sizes you can plant into it. The small 'johnny-jump-up' pansies, florists' anemones, verbascum, dianthus-pinks, linaria, eschscholzia, and a good range of other annuals will grow there - especially if you can provide some water over the summer. They may not be huge/lush but they will be sturdy and colourful. When it comes to weeding over the gravel (yes you DO have to weed...:-( ) use a two-tine hand fork or weed hook rather than anything conventional. If you use a knife, that will work, too. Forget spades - and rotary tillers. They're often not good for the health of the soil structure on clay.

Hi Caleb, I have 3 different Amaryllis 'babies' that I planted this June and are about 2" to 3" tall. Colors: Unknown Red - very dark Peppermint - Red & White Apple Blossom - Pink & White As they are Babies it will be 2 to 4 years before they are big enough to produce blooms. How many Tulips is in your trade? If you are interest please let me know. Please email me direct so that I don't miss your post. Thank you, Marie

more or less any tulips will naturalise if you have the right conditions - ie, a hot, dry, sunbaked free draining scree or gravel area which, like bearded iris, allows the bulbs, even though under the soil, to be baked all summer. Winter rains will start the bulbs into root growth and temperature and light will initiate bud formation. It is, however, all in the conditions - no tulip, even the fabled darwins or species, enjoy being swamped by grass and they certainly will not respond to lack of sun. FWIW, I grow thousands of tulips on my open, free draining allotment although if I am less than circumspect about removing surface competitors, the bulbs will dwindle and finally fail. If you can replicate their natural growth conditions, they will prove reliably perennial (although I appreciate that many tulip lovers cannot provide neither the heat not light and often, not the soil. Pot grown tulips are often deeply unhappy since the light potting soils encourage early splitting so the tulips are already diminished in their second year. In England, at least, because they are so closely associated with other spring bulbs such as narcissus, they are frequently planted around deciduous trees (or in pots) where they will, indeed, flower...once. Unfortunately (for me) I am beginning to battle with that other issue relating to great numbers of single species plants - virus. The first streaks of tulip fire appeared last year so suspect the April displays on the allotment are numbered.