When is it too late to transplant perennials? trees? shrubs? bulbs? Bulb info, too.

Bulbs can be planted until the ground freezes. Most other plants will do better if they have time to spread their roots before the ground freezes. We recommend planting before the end of October.

If you have transplanted late in the season, be sure to water your plants daily until the ground freezes. Then give them three to six inches of mulch. Keep the mulch a few inches away from trunks and stems to discourage pests.

Some not always obvious tips for Bulbs:

• Remember to plant pointy side up and roots down.
• Although some bulbs will bloom in the shade, most bulbs will do best in a sunny spot. If you find that some of your bulbs aren’t flowering as well as they did, perhaps they have spindly stems, transplant them to a sunnier spot with a dose of bone meal in the soil around (but not touching) the bottom of the bulb.
• If you don't have the specific directions handy (say you're transplanting bulbs from a few years past) a general guide is to plant bulbs 2.5 times deeper than the width of the bulb. The bigger the bulb, the deeper your hole.
• Give your bulbs an extra treat by digging your holes or trenches a little deeper than the bulb needs to be planted, then sprinkle in some Bone Meal topped with a little soil so the bulb doesn't sit directly on the food but will reach it once it spreads its roots. The reason: Bulbs love Bone Meal in their soil, but not touching them. Direct contact with Nitrogen can burn the bulb, which only needs the phosphorus and potash from bone meal.
• When you begin to see bulb foliage peeking out in early spring, feed them bulb food. The nitrogen builds stronger stems to support the weight of the flowers.
• Plant crocuses and other early bloomers right in your lawn. They usually finish flowering before you’re ready to get the mower out.

Outsmart squirrels, chipmunks, mice, rabbits (rodents) and deer:

• Blood meal helps to deter rodents, but too much may burn your plants.
• Commercial and home-made remedies help to deter deer (Deer Away, Critter Ridder, and especially Plantskyd) and also some rodents.
• Intersperse a variety of unappetizing bulbs (daffodils/ narcissus, hyacinths, frittilaria, windflower, dwarf iris, early stardrift, glory of the snow, and winter aconite) with the tulips and crocus that are so tasty. Now the potential diners are looking for a needle amongst your haystack of bulbs. They may eat one or two, but will most likely get discouraged before mowing down all your tulips.
• There are hundreds of herbs and plants which deter rodents and insects including Allium (species include decorative flowers as well as chive, garlic and onion plants).
• If you’ve had trouble with critters in the past, consider lining your planting hole with ½ inch of sharp sand or gravel or chicken wire to discourage diligent diggers.