With October well underway, one of the gardening tasks on our minds and our to-do lists is planting fall bulbs. For the most part, we think of them only as early spring colour, when really, they’re so much more.

On this week's episode of Down The Garden Path, Peggy Anne Montgomery from flowerbulbs.com joins Joanne and Matt in the studio. She discusses the importance of spring bulbs as a source of pollen and nectar to the myriad of beneficial insects waking up after long winter.

An account executive at Garden Media Group, Peggy Anne has been a horticulturist for over 30 years. Her background is in native plant research, public relations and sales with a large wholesale nursery. She studied horticulture in the Netherlands where she raised a family and owned a sustainable landscape design business. Peggy Anne has appeared on several television shows to discuss gardening and has written for numerous trade and popular publications over the years, including Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Gardening, PHS’s Grow Magazine and Organic Gardening.

Flowerbulbs.com represents a consortium of flower bulb growers in the Netherlands. They don’t sell any products but instead, have created a website designed to educate and inspire consumers.

In this episode, Peggy Anne explains the importance of planting early blooming bulbs, which varieties are available and why you should think outside the tulip!

For pollinators, it is really important to plant single flower varieties in good size groupings to make it easier for the insects.

Tune into this week's podcast and learn more about:

• When to plant fall bulbs
• What protection is needed when planting bulbs
• The best bulbs to prevent squirrels and other animals from digging them up
• The meaning of “naturalizing”
• Tips to getting bulbs to rebloom
• The number of bulbs to plant in a small garden
• Growing bulbs in a container