Although it may be cold outside with snow or cold and rainy with sleet, if you are an avid gardener, your fingers are just itching to get into the soil of the earth.

Alternative gardening: There is an alternative way of gardening until the weather outside get warmer. Why not pretty up those pots, (containers) by another name with summer bulbs? It can appease your senses knowing that some how you have made preparation for summer through another resource.

Bulb selection: Around February or March, your local nursery or garden center will have set out their displays of summer bulbs. Many can also be found on-line. Depending on your planting zone will decide which bulbs can be planted when. It is important to select bulbs specifically for your area.

Bulb container gardens can serve as an alternative way of gardening for those with no-plot-of-land. Summer bulbs are a great choice considering they love humidity and hot temperatures. With bright, bold blooms, variety of colors and luscious foliage and fragrance, why not have a bulb garden of your own.

Simplicity of bulb gardening: Planting bulbs in containers is very simple to do and with so many to choose from, figuratively, the sky is the limit. Try the bulb lasagna method, (planting layer wise to increase the flowering interest in your container). Window boxes are ideal as well especially for those who may live in apartments or condominium dwellings.

Use summer bulbs in containers where space is limited. With this kind of gardening, there are no fire ants and less disease mechanisms to deal with. That is the fun about container gardening with bulbs. You just put the soil in and place the bulbs and that is it. Well, in a nut shell. Let me be more specific.

Judge what size container you will need according to how many bulbs you plan to use. For example, if using many bulbs, then use a medium size pot, or if using larger bulbs, consider using an even larger pot. With larger pots, you do not have to water as much. Water-holding crystals and self-watering containers are ways to keep moisture inside on a hot summer day.

The layering process: Now begins the bulb lasagna (layering process). For example, if you have a sunny, hot area you can fill container with soil about ¼ or three inches and pat firmly. Next, add no more than 3-6 bulbs (or less is using a smaller pot), firmly yet gently so they grip the soil. Cover with more soil about 1/3 this time, maybe 4-5 inches and add another type bulb (2-3). Be sure each bulb is at least ½ inch apart. Cover them with soil, then add yet another selected summer bulb and cover with soil to at least two inches below rim. Foliar feed with a quick soluble nutrient like Super thrive and add Osmocote an effective source of nutrition for months to come.

Water thoroughly to encourage growth and maintain the progress of the newly planted bulbs. Check your soil moisture daily and water accordingly but not too much; bulbs hate wet feet. Several bulbs of the same type or a mixed bulb garden look best in large containers of any shape, with a minimum depth of 7-8 inches. When you are using only one type of bulb, several may look best in containers with a smaller diameter where they have more impact.

Cannas, the shorter bulb variety are the most favorable on my patio. Plant these tropical delights along with a dwarf type tuber (another form of bulb) of dahlia; added trailing petunia will definitely give a sense of the tropics. Also, try liatris, an excellent cut flower, and the spectacular zephranthes, native to the southeastern United States. For shady areas, try Polly elephants ear as the thriller, caladium as the filler and the ever-elegant dragon wing begonia as the spiller as a focal point. Whatever bulbs you choose, be it summer, fall, or spring, be sure to plant some annuals to cover the soil with flower display until the real showstoppers begin their show.

The whole scoop of the ice cream is this type of gardening is endless considering there are bulb types for all seasons. Using strong architectural forms in your containers like foliage (caladium, ginger, lilies, and banana tree) and spiky dracaena, yucca, cordyline and phormium (New Zealand flax), these plants will highlight the spectaculars of your chosen bulbs in your container garden.

Will the purple pansies and ornamental kale survive the summer temperatures of states like Texas, Florida and Arizona? Hardly, but at least a tropical container will give you my friend, in the colder areas of the country, the oomph to think of the warm summer days ahead with a cold pitcher of ice tea. Why not consider starting those breathtaking, summer bulb containers today?