Residents can get Hawkeyes, Cyclones or Cardinals color mix at Newton Arboretum bulb sale

Local football fans can feast their eyes on a colorful spring surprise if they buy a bag of bulbs later this month at Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. By the time the tulips blossom early next year, horticulturist Leah Busch says folks’ gardens and landscaping will be decorated in their favorite team’s colors.

Entering its second year, the Fall Bulb Sale will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 and from 9 to 11 a.m. Oct. 22 inside the Krumm Horticultural Center, 3000 N. Fourth Ave. E., at the arboretum. All proceeds for the sale go towards the nonprofit’s operational costs. Busch said the team color mixes are a new idea.

The Iowa State Cyclone mix consists of red and yellow tulips. The Iowa Hawkeyes mix has bright yellow and very dark purple/black tulips. Newton Cardinal tulips also share the same dark purple/black color and red variants, the latter of which have some striped with white.

“One of our people here had an idea about trying to get more people involved by letting people plant tulips in their yards that match the colors of the teams,” Busch said. “We picked two shades of tulips for each mix. We’re going to put them out there and hopefully everybody loves ‘em. You can support your team!”

Last year the bulb sale was hampered by flooding and crop failures overseas, as well as shipping delays. It was a learning experience, Busch said, but this year they’re prepared. Jodi Flaherty, office manager of the Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, said the bulbs are already here and ready for sale.

“I would like to see how this does in a year that we’re not suffering all of those setbacks,” Flaherty said. “And I think it’s going to be extremely popular amongst the community members. We did some test posts for the community on our website and Facebook page to see what they wanted.”

Of course what’s so nice about bulbs is that they’re easy to plant and maintain. Every person — regardless of how well they keep plants alive at home — should be able to see colorful tulips, daffodils, alliums, grape hyacinths and leucojums sprouting from the group come spring time.

“In the fall is typically when you plant bulbs for spring blooming flowers,” Busch said. “They need the fertilization, or cold period, to initiate bloom. We plant them in the ground now so that in the spring we get their lovely flowers. This is perfect for everybody. All you do is put your bulb in the ground in the right depth.”

To make it even better, arboretum staff and volunteers picked up easier varieties for even the most casual gardeners to see a successful bloom.

“You plant ‘em now and in spring you can enjoy them,” Busch said. “Very easy. The biggest thing with any fall planted bulbs is in the spring the foliage comes out, and once the flower is done blooming you should leave the foliage. It feeds the bulb for the next year. You can have them again year after year.”

Prices for bulb bags will range from $15 to $30. There are about three to 20 bulbs per bag depending on the variety. If anyone has any questions about the growth of the bulbs during the sale, staff will be distributing handouts to guide gardeners and yield the best results.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext 560 or at cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com