Other than the drop in outdoor temperatures, Schippers recently asked his customers to share their own “natural guidelines.” Here are a few customer comments for knowing when it’s time to plant bulbs:

•    Fall foliage has moved just past peak
•    Crickets no longer chirp
•    Squirrels are digging in acorns as fast as they  can
•    Birds start to group and depart
•    You start turning on the heat in your car
•    The air smells of wood smoke
•    Grapes are ripening on the vine
•    You blow out the irrigation system before the winter freeze
•    The hostas start to lie down
•    The air has that organic, decaying leaf smell
•    The dog moves from a cool to a sunny spot in the yard

•     The kids start putting on their jackets without being nagged by you