Help!! What should I do with my bulbs???

I have been bad.
I have about 75 daffodil and tulip bulbs that I failed to get in the ground yet.
It has been below freezing (way below) for several days.
Predicting snow tomorrow and wind chills 5 to 10 below zero. I tried to see if the ground was frozen and of course it was.
So what do I do with these bulbs?
Susan
=^..^=

Susan, if it warms a bit, you may be able to lift the frozen top of soil off. What's underneath will be workable, and that would be best for the bulbs. If that does'nt work, you could store them in a refridgerator till you can get them in the ground, or pot them up and keep them in a cool garage or outside against a structure, covered in mulch. Then you could get them out in early spring. Good luck, Neal.

Susan,

Pot 'em up and put the pans in an unheated garage or outbuilding
(or coldframe if you have one). They will bloom next spring and you'll
be able to plant them in just the right spots!

Alternate plan - mail 'em to me & I'll figure out what to do with them ;-)

I've been trying to figure out where to post this so I'll plop it into your thread
if you don't mind. Here's where I planted my late season bargains: along
that stone wall in the background. The day BEFORE it snowed. (Someone
is watching over me this year!)

Don't feel alone, 9kitty. I have some asiatic lilies in a pot, which wasn't where I intended to put 'em. I'm assured they'll be fine. Sure beats digging through snow to unfrozen soil!

Tammy, that's going to be awsome. Stone makes the prettiest background for spring bulbs.
Neal

Thanks Neal. They'll be on top of that stone wall but the hillside is almost
all stone too so it'll still be a "stone backdrop". :-) That wall is along the driveway.
The previous owner had covered it with landscape fabric years ago and I've
been battling the brambles and weeds for a few years. Finally got them reduced
sufficiently to pull up the fabric, put in lots of new ammended soil and plant it up
with daylilies and now bulbs. I just can't wait for spring now!!! (Reminds me of
the feeling I had when I was five years old on Christmas Eve.)

susan, i think we've all been bad girls and boys here from time to time.

tammy, love that retaining wall!

ditto to what mcg and neal said.

annapet

I'm so happy you posted this! I am supposed to get some Allium bulbs I ordered a month ago, and they still haven't come yet. They are supposed to come by tomorrow.

I have some leftover potting soil in a big plastic tub in the shed- I'll just plant them in there! Do you think I have to make sure they are 8" deep?

Ivy - you don't have to plant them that deep. Just a bit below the
soil surface. Then in the spring, after they bloom (or before if you like)
you can plant them where ever you like. You'll save bundles over
folks that buy them potted up! Great planning. :-)

Tam

Now I feel a bit better. I have 200 bulbs that didn't get in. Tulips, camassias, iris reticulata, muscari, alliums...

I love the picture, Tammy.

I bought a bulb auger and heavy duty drill, but I seem to have too many rocks here in Utah. I have had better luck with a mattock, which seems to get down in and yank them up. You've all encouraged me, a new member, to get back to work on them after Christmas.

Eileen

Well Eileen that makes ME feel a LOT better. 200 wow!!! LOL
But we aren't lost, remember that.
Mine are still out there in the garage, not in pots and not in the ground. BUT I will get them done. Just keep saying that.
Susan
=^..^=

Welcome to DG Eileen!

There's more bulbs in my fridg than food!
Neal.

Hi Eileen! I actually bought a spare fridg so I could force plenty of bulbs over the
winter! (Go Neal!!!) And I can't use one of those auger dealies either - same problem.
I plant the bulbs in prepared beds or with a shovel. I use my foot to push it in as far
as I can (& if not enough 'cause of a rock, I move to a new spot). Then lean it forward,
pop the bulb to the bottem and pull out the shovel.

Tammy, it definitely was not good planning! I thought they would send those bulbs ages ago!
I got the Lilies and Iris in before Thanksgiving!

Eileen /Tammy-----Man, I thought I had it bad here in Ct. with all the rocks and granite, but I don't have to drill into my soil! If it were my garden, I'd seriously think about dumping a bunch of dirt on top of the rocks and planting above. As it is, I use Tammy's shovel idea, except I use my spade (nice sharp edge for cutting through hard soil). I really prefer starting from scratch with a trench and just dumping the bulbs in!

Eght years ago, when we first moved into our house, I planted 200 tiny crocus in our front lawn. NEVER DO THIS. It was the biggest pain and by the time I got to the 200 bulb I was about ready to kill myself. Digging all those tiny holes in the grass was awful. Plus, the squirrels ate three quarters of them anyway. Every year they come up and I still have about 50, which means that the squirrels are STILL eating them as they multiply.

Those bulb augers work great.... in a bed of nice, fluffy, prepared soil, LOL! Forget the idea of trying to use them to naturalize daffodils in your lawn! I had such dreams when I bought my bulb auger... Ha!

It's not that bad putting crocus into an existing lawn if you don't try to plant them one by one. Take a regular sized shovel and cut a slit down into the sod, pry up a flap], and stick a handful of bulbs under the sod, then step on the flap of sod to get it back into place. I'm sure not all of them do as well as they would if you put them in a nice trench of loosened, amended soil, but this does work... Of course, I don't have squirrels helping to make sure my crocus population doesn't get out of control. (We've got voles and rabbits and groundhogs galore, but we've seen no squirrels, knock on wood.)

OK - I'm energized again! I just heard a talk by Bill Thomas, Executive Director of the Chanticleer Foundation.
(Which is an absolutely amazing garden started in 1993 in Wayne Pa.) He used to be at Longwood Gardens.
Anyway - he gave the talk at our Rock Garden Society Christmas Brunch and showed us their latest experiments
for bulbs in grass. He's trying "Links Mix Fescue" to grow the bulbs in a grassy area. Doesn't get as tall and so
should look better when the bulb folliage is ripening (when you can't mow or you'll impact the vigor of the bulbs).

Anyway - anyone putting wanting to try large drifts of naturalized daffodils in a grassy field might want to look into this. Or if you are running a public botanical garden I suppose :-)

Tam

Too bad there was no DG back when T planted my crocus! I would've had such good advice, and no backache when I was done!

My neighbor has a section of her lawn in an off kilter circle (about 8x8) for daffs. Luckily, I can look right out my window at them. I think they look so lovely and natural. It's a beautiful sight, even after the flowers go. The grass is so tall and cool looking, like the prairie where I grew up. Makes me think of meadows and fairy rings...and my daughter loves it. We hide Easter eggs there every year- with our neighbor's permission of course.

I was going to start a thread for my question, but this one is so closely related to mine that I think I'll just hitch a free ride on it.

My question:

I ordered hundreds of bulbs and they arrived in time for planting. I broke my wrist didn't plant my bulbs. Suddenly, without warning, I am moving to New York State next summer! What should I do? I am definitely not leaving these bulbs behind!

Can I hold them over in the refrigerator and plant them in NY next summer? It will be hot there by that time.

Or could I plant them here in containers (such as plastic milk cartons or jugs), set them outside here under a lot of mulch, let them bloom in the spring, and then move them in the containers and transplant the whole clump, including dirt and foliage, when I get to NY?

Or would it be better to plant them in the ground, let them bloom, wait for the foliage to weather, and then dig them up and just take the bare bulbs to NY and set them out again next fall?

We're talking at least 500 bulbs here -- daffodils, camassia, scilla, fritillaria, alleum roseum, tulips . . .

HELP!!!

I think potting them would be your best bet. Then you can enjoy the blooms in spring (and water and fertilize till foliage yellows), and when you move they'll be dormant again, so you can move them either in pots or not. What zone are you in? If your winter is mild enough the potted bulbs can be left out. But if it gets cold they'll need protection (unheated garage or against a structure&covered in mulch). I don't think they would survive if they can't go through their spring growth cycle. Many plants that bloom early and go dormant have developed that mechanism because of the conditions of their native habitat. They often dislike hot weather; this makes them grow too fast and the buds blast (turn brown before opening). Good luck, Neal.

Thanks, Neal. I am in zone 7a here in California; will be moving to (I think) 5 next year. Do you think a gallon milk jug with the top cut off and some holes punched in the bottom would give 5 daffodils enough room to grow? (I have a number of varieties, 5 bulbs each.) I have tons of milk jugs, and they're free. Seems daffodils might need more depth, though; maybe I could buy those cardboard tubes that are used to make concrete pillars, cut them in lengths, and plant inside them with the open bottoms just resting on the ground. After I move, maybe the whole thing could be planted, cardboard and all. I'd like to avoid spending a lot on pots. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!
--Hannelore

I feel so much better after reading this thread. I haven't been on DG for months - well, once or twice. Got a sewing machine and started spending my time with it and giving my knees a much needed rest.

I have LOTS of bulbs that I didn't get planted. I have no idea where Oct and November went but I came on DG today to ask what I should do and the first thread was this one.

I feel much better about this. Thanks for all the great info.
Kathy - miss you guys too.

I pot mine up in recycled nursery pots. They do not have to be anywhere
near as deep in a pot as they do in the ground. I think milk jugs would work
as long as you put in drainage holes. Neal gave you the proper directions on
where to locate - unheated garage, in a pile of mulch by the house or in a
cold frame if you have one. I put mine in a spare refridgerator so they get the
needed cold time (important when the fall is warm) so I get early bloom in the
spring. Since all you are trying to do is keep them safe, outside w/protection
would be fine! And if you move in the summer, just let the folliage ripen, pull
them out of the pots/milk jugs and keep them cool (like in the basement) 'til
you plant them in your new place, preferably in the fall.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. I also feel better knowing I've got lots of company in this situation!

Ta dah!! I have them all in the pots. I put 4 anemones and 12 dutch iris actually in the ground, but the others are in pots. They are up against the south side of the house and bundled in with leaves. I watered them a little bit since it no longer rains here. LOL Wasn't sure how much water to do, can do more if I hear from you guys that I should.

Now we are having a warm spell. It was 64 today. Felt like spring, but oh so dry. Forecast a little rain, but since it is sooooo dry the rain evaporates before it reaches the ground. That is so crazy to me, now we are too dry for it to rain.

Susan
=^..^=

Susan, this is unusual weather for you at this time of year is'nt it? It does seem strange to be so dry now. The water needs are'nt great for bulbs, but they do need to be lightly moist while rooting and growing.

It's a good thing I'm not entertaining this year, since there's hardly any room for food in my fridg. The bottom 2 shelves are pots of bulbs. The beds they are destined for were just too frozen to dig in, and when I started slicing into forgotten bulbs when planting I told myself it's time to quit for '05. But it was exciting to see daffodil pips just below the soil surface, just waiting for a little warmth- Oh the countdown to spring is on!
Neal.

Susan, I remember riding my new bike in my new pajamas on Christmas Day, 1966 or 1967, in Norman, Okla. No coat on, because it was 62 degrees out.

There was another year that we had glare ice for the first and only time I lived in Okla. I remember because I ran out the front door, slid right off the porch and fell flat down onto the ground. I had never seen sheet ice like that!

My DH would kill me if I put bulbs in the fridge. I do have Dahlias in the basement in a basket filled with sand. He couldn't figure out what in the heck it was.

I planted Apricot Beauty, Negrita, Lilac Perfection, and Spring Green Tulips on the day after Thanksgiving this year. I also got some Bearded Iris a week later, and I was able to plant them out. We had a very warm fall, and it lasted forever. Unfortunately, my Alliums are in a pot in the garage, because they didn't arrive until Dec. Thank goodness for this thread!

Ivy1, that is so funny!!! I was living in Norman in 1966 until 1971. My DH (at the time) was going to OU and I worked in OKC. I love Norman still. With my memory though, I don't remember that Christmas, LOL
We always came to Tulsa for the holidays so probably wasn't actually in Norman then.

We do have horrible ice here. Not that much snow though. And usually a lot more moisture. This is awful. We have that -5F thing a couple of weeks ago and now the warm. I will be lucky if I have anything still alive in the spring. Very worried.

I'm just happy I have my little bulbs all tucked away. I hope they do OK now, I have never waited like this to plant them. :(

Susan
=^..^=

I bought a cheapo second fridge for my bulbs - nothing like forcing them and
getting bloom at the end of winter!

Congrat's on getting those bulbs tucked away Susan!

In the end, I planted all the bulbs in rows in the garden, the first week of January. I did it pretty much the instant the external fixator came off of my wrist, still having to work pretty much one-handed. The ground was soft as we have not had much winter here this year. Some of the bulbs had already sprouted, so I tried to be careful not to injure the growing tip. Some of the bulbs had already rotted or dried out and had to be discarded, but probably 90% looked sound. DH dug the trenches for me and later covered the rows with wire mesh fencing to try to discourage the squirrels. It will be interesting to see what comes up in the spring!

Congratulations! We had a very short window to plant in Jan so I tucked in a few that my Mom couldn't
plant (she lives in a colder zone then I do). We just had a warm week and now its COLD. Ground is frozen
solid once again and the wintery winds are howling. I just pulled a pot of tulips out of the refridgerator and
am hoping to tide over 'til spring with some forced blooms.

Hannelore1, So you are moving back east again? Are you leaving your CA site for good? That is too bad. What about the dahlias you bought? Taking them with you? Was hoping to get together with you again in the spring. My son loved your grape jelly you had brought to the NW RU.
Carol

The gardening job I like least is planting spring bulbs. Seems like they never last more than two years and you have to do it again. Back in the fall of 2001, I was wandering through Home Depot and spotted this auger that you could attach to your power drill and use to make your bulb holes. I snatched it up and have been using it ever since. My neighbors always laugh at me when I get out there with my power drill, but they sure look envious come spring. Sure doesn't take as long as it use to and I use to have a problem with the dog picking up the bulbs I had laid out for planting and burying them somewhere else in the yard messing up my intended planting plan. Not anymore! I'm too quick for him now.

The gardening job I like least is planting spring bulbs. Seems like they never last more than two years and you have to do it again. Back in the fall of 2001, I was wandering through Home Depot and spotted this auger that you could attach to your power drill and use to make your bulb holes. I snatched it up and have been using it ever since. My neighbors always laugh at me when I get out there with my power drill, but they sure look envious come spring. Sure doesn't take as long as it use to and I use to have a problem with the dog picking up the bulbs I had laid out for planting and burying them somewhere else in the yard messing up my intended planting plan. Not anymore! I'm too quick for him now.

I helped a friend plant her bulbs this fall. She had one of those drill gizmos and really liked it. I prefer the
manual method.

Hmmm... I think of spring bulbs as the ones that are not hardy enough to survive the winter or ones that can
be planted either spring or fall (like lilies). So for me, I hate digging up the spring bulbs in the fall the most.
(Dahlias, cannas, elephant ears etc).

beaker, what kind of bulbs are you planting? If its tulips, it doe'nt suprise me that a couple of years is all you get out of them. But, there are some that perennialize better than others, like the Darwin hybrids.
Neal.

The ones I'm whining about are tulips and I have had some Darwin's that seem to last better than others, but I always end up replanting. Last fall, after I completed this chore, I read somewhere that the reason tulips don't last is because they get too much water over the summer. The article I was reading suggested planting tulips deeper, as much as 12 inches. I wouldn't think this would apply to the species tulips as those seem to be indestructable, but I thought I'd look into this before I replant again.

You're right, secies don't have to be as deep. But, in relation to the size of their bulbs they are best planted fairly deep. For most bulbs it's recomended to put 3X as much soil on top as the bulb is tall (if it's 1" from top to bottom, put 3" of soil over it), but for tulips 4or5X the height of the bulbs is recomended. And it is also true that they don't like summer moisture. In their native lands most tulips recieve dry summer baking. I've also read that they don't like a lot of organic matter either. I have a clump of late doubles that had surpised me, until I did some reading, by returning well for 5 years now. I have them in almost pure gravel and sand. The last couple of years I've been adding bone meal to. Some vendors are selling what they are calling Perennial tulips. They are actually just Darwin hybrids (which are already some of the best for returning) that are grown an extra year in the fields for extra huge bulbs. I got a collection of them and this will be the 2nd spring for them, so we'll see.
Neal.

I've got tulips coming back every year that the previous own planted. Have to be AT LEAST 8 yrs old.

I've been so busy recently that I haven't had a chance to check back here. Yes, Daisyruffles -- we're moving back to New York State! That is where I am from originally, and I have family there. So, although I am sad to leave this area and our property here, which I really love, family trumps all of that. We have put an offer on a lovely piece of land in upstate NY and are hoping to close at the end of April. There is no house -- so we will have to build one! That means that we probably won't actually move for a while. Is there a Schreiner's trip in the works for this spring? Maybe I could actually make it for that. I had to cancel my order from Swan Island, since there was so much uncertainty about my whereabouts. But there's always next year!

Still no sign of growth from those bulbs that I put in so late. I fear they may have been too far along in their sprouting, and got shocked or rotted when I put them in the ground. Previous years' bulbs are already poking their heads up.

Hannelore

OK - I just gotta step in here and help you folks out.... Susan and all - I'm adopting bulbs at the present time.. I'll get them in the ground for you.....



Swoz