Flowering bulbs are popping up everywhere, with a promise of the return of Spring. Tiny white snowdrops, most-often-yellow daffodils, tulips in every color imaginable, cheery little crocus, and fragrant hyacinth are just a few of the more common choices.

If you choose from "early, mid, and late season" bloomers, you can have beautiful flowers beginning in late January and running through April when less hardy perennials begin to bloom and flats of annual bedding plants are available to fill the garden gaps.

In (let's just say many) years of planting, rescuing, and maintaining spring flowering bulbs in the Northwest corner of the Pacific Northwest, I have seen then plagued with very few pest problems. Squirrels have been known to relocate bulbs, but not frequently enough to discourage planting them.

So, if you missed that October window of bulb planting opportunity, check out web catalogs such as Brecks or Springhill and plan for next spring. Or pick up pots of blooming bulbs at the local nursery to enjoy now and plant in your garden later.

I am sure that there is no official source suggesting that they are edible, but a local music celebrity told the tale of surviving World War II in Holland on a diet featuring tulip bulbs. For an absolutely fascinating look at the history of the tulip (I was certainly surprised at their country of origin), read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan.