A pile of unknown bulbs with foliage...Help!

Hello everyone,

While I have many spring bulbs about the property, I
must say I have never grown any of what I was given today, and
am quite stumped as to what they are.

They were growing around the porch area of an abandoned
house. Yes, I received permission to help myself. LOL.

They are very large and seemed to be planted rather deeply.

In my experience, they are too large to be Daffodils. The foliage
is on average 12" long, and the bulbs are similar to the size
of an onion.

I've never grown hyacinth. Could that be what these are?

It's a Daffodil....definately not a Hyacinth. Reason they are that deep is because they must have been there for quite a while and thefor go deeper and deeper each year. Plant them in the ground now, water well and they'll stay alive and well to flower next year.

Wuvie,
The foliage looks alot like the Wood Hyacinth (spanish bluebell). Mine here in NC are up about the same size as the one's in your pic. The bulb size sounds about right also. If they bloom this year let us know.

Gary

Ah, I did look up the hyacinth, and you are right, definitely not.

In the event they are Daffodils, my gosh, I never knew the bulbs could
get that big! Though they were very deeply planted, they lifted with just a
bit of prying with an old lawnmower blade.

(go ahead, ask... you know you want to, LOL)

My little "Carry in the car just in case" shovel actually bent while digging them up!

Anyhow. Wood Hyacinth. Hmm. I will definitely watch and wait.

I was also wondering about the blooming, whether they would do so after
disturbing, no matter what they are. Some of the bulbs are just now
sporting a few inches of foliage, so shouldn't they bloom this year?

I'm so excited! There were well over 100 bulbs, and since I posted that picture,
I already have them all planted and watered well. Hubby asked what they were,
to which I responded "I don't know, but aren't they great?" He said "They are
too close to the driveway." Yeah, thanks, honey, I thought they looked nice, too!

;-)

My wood hyacinths have much smaller bulbs than that - plus they usually don't come up anywhere near this early. I would strongly bet they are daffodils. Daffodil bulbs for any varieties can be huge.

Get them in the ground. Did it up so it's nice and soft and the roots have room to stretch. I'll bet they'll bloom for you. These look pretty young, and they put their foliage out a while before the buds so even if most of it dies, you could still have some flowers.

Good luck!
c

I bough some daffs this year whose bulbs are as big as my fist. They are Kind Alfred jumbos. Daffs can get big
c

AH! They have been in the ground since this afternoon, I'm so proud!

Actually they are not very young, the house has been abandoned for years,
and some of the bulbs are HUGE.

We may be getting somewhere. Your post stated KIND ALFRED JUMBOS,
but I found them even with the typo.

They could be King Alfred Jumbo Daffodils.

I'll keep Trumpet Narcissus, Trumpet Daffodil 'King Alfred' in mind, watch
and wait. :-)

Many thanks, all!

They look like my surprise lily bulbs and leaves. Check this out and see if it's a match:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/517/

Hi Kay,

I have Surprise Lilies all over the property in both pink and red.

The foliage on these are wider, longer and a lighter green. :-)

Looks like daffodils to me. daffs will naturalize well so that is probably why there were so many. And yes the bulbs can be pretty big.

I think it is daffodils, too

I think that you have Lycoris squamigera. The foliage is similar in shape to L. radiatra but it is wider, taller, and more upright with less sprawl. The leaf color is a paler green and lacks the near white midvein of L.radiata. L. squamigera puts up foliage in the spring then dies back. Flowering occurs later in the summer. Bulbs are rounded with a dark coat very like the ones in the photo.

On the other hand you will know for sure when they bloom.

Beth

I'm with KayJones and Turtle. I have seen a lot of these in comparison to other bulbs; Lycoris squamigera. They do not always bloom after they have been disturbed or if they have been crowded. Enjoy them,
K. James

Let us see them when they bloom!