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Gardening Tips For Autumn That Will Prepare Your Plants For Spring

BOSTON (CBS) -- While temperatures are dropping, you're probably not thinking about spring gardening, but this is the perfect time! Mark Saidnawey from Pemberton Garden Services said there are plenty of flowers that you should plant now in preparation for spring.

"You know every spring people say, look at the beautiful display of tulips, well you need to plant those now. You can plant them up until the ground freezes," said Mark.

There are more types of flowers to plant besides tulips. "All different types of bulbs can go in now, Spring-blooming bulbs, daffodils, hyacinths, allium, you know a nice selection of them," Mark said.

Even when planting in the Fall, critters can get to your bulbs. Mark shared his advice on how to keep the pests away: "There are a couple of tricks for tulips, one of the better ideas is to plant the bulbs the squirrels don't like, that would be daffodils and allium."

There is also a technique for planting the bulbs to ensure the garden will beautiful come spring. "The first thing you want to do is lay out the bulbs, the positioning and the order that you want… and then start digging. You want to go down four inches, but each packet usually tells you how deep you want to plant a bulb in… but I like to plant them a little bit deeper so the animals don't get at them. And then use my special mixture of bulb food and animal repellent, put a little bit in the bottom of the hole, put your bulb in right side up… push it down there pretty good, cover it up and you're good to go," Mark explained.

Lastly, Mark offered advice if you are working with a budget. "If you only have a few bulbs, say 50 or less, plant them quite close together (12-15 inches apart at most) in your garden and you'll have a dramatic show of color in the spring. Spreading them out one a time all over the yard simply doesn't work. You are much better off moving from spot to spot each year in the garden as your budget permits, putting down at least 20 bulbs in one area, so they stand out and are viewed as a group."

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