What to expect when bulbs begin sprouting

I planted a lot of bulbs last year and I’m looking forward to their spring show. During periods of warm weather, bulbs might begin sprouting, especially those planted close to a house or garage with southern exposure.

There is nothing to worry about if you see early bulb foliage. The Chicago Botanic Garden has had snowdrops flowering in late February in similar locations in past years.

The first greenery to show is foliage, with flower buds appearing later in the bulb’s growth. Subsequent cold weather might damage the edges of the foliage, but unless the flower bud has appeared, it will not affect the future flowering or health of the bulb. A few of the small early bulbs can tolerate a bit of frost. These include snowdrops, crocus and dwarf iris.

Clean your bird feeders periodically as moldy seed can make birds ill. This is easier to do on warmer days that are well above freezing. Flush out old seed and debris, then scrub with a mixture of water and chlorine bleach (1 ounce of bleach per gallon of water). Rinse well and allow the feeders to dry out before adding new seed. Between these cleanings, shake to dislodge compacted seeds when refilling hanging feeders. Dump out all wet clumps of old seed. If you can, sweep hulls off platform feeders daily. You should also change the water in a bird bath every couple of days to keep the water clean.

Get a head start on summer-blooming bulbs and tubers by starting them indoors in a moist, soilless mix. Plant caladium (Caladium), elephant ears (Colocassia), tuberous begonia (Begonia x tuberhybrida), montbretia (Crocosmia), lily of the Nile (Agapanthus), garden canna (Canna x generalis), tuberose (Polianthes), or peacock orchid (Acidanthera). Keep the plants warm until new growth appears. Move pots into a sunny window or under grow lights if necessary. Move these pots outside when the danger of frost has passed, after gradually introducing plants to outdoor growing conditions.

Fertilize houseplants as they begin to show new growth. It’s also a good time to do some pruning if needed. Try low doses of organic fertilizer or a very dilute, balanced, granular fertilizer rather than stronger formulas at this time of year. Telltale white salt markings on terra-cotta pots indicate the overuse of fertilizer or improper watering. Flush out the soil of over-fertilized plants with plain water as the buildup of salts from fertilizer can damage the plants.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.