No Enough Winter Cold For Bulbs?

In this Zone 5 we have not had any real winter cold. Unbelievable. It's 51, should be in the upper 20's or lower 30's. We had about three weeks of below or at freezing temps at Thanksgiving and then, lots and lots and lots of rain with temps in the upper 40's during the day and upper thirties at night. If this keeps up will there be any spring bulbs? Also the water table is the highest I have ever seen it in 40 years. The ground is super saturated.

I am worried about this crazy weather, too. We are in the 60s and low 70s. I found a few dwarf iris blooming in my yard this morning, and I had only put them in the ground about five or six weeks ago. Even in Alabama, we are likely to get some hard freezes in the next two months, so I am worrying about losing out on a lot of blooms this spring... :-(

My crocus came up but haven't bloomed. The daffys are blooming. I am in zone 6b-7a.

The daff's are blooming?!!! Whoa. This is gonna be a mighty strange spring. I've got crocus coming up too, but no sign of flowers. I never thought I would be happy to see the arrival of really cold weather but now not so much. I've read that tulips need 16 to 18 weeks of 35 to 45 degree temps for the flower to form. We have had about four weeks thus far. It will have to get ugly for the next twelve weeks to have tulips!

Well, I am *not* digging mine up to put into the refrigerator.... LOL... If worse comes to worse, I am guessing that I may not get many blooms this spring, but hopefully the bulbs will all survive and put on a fabulous show in 2008....

Of course, my fingers are still crossed for a great show in spring of 2007!

I wouldn't worry to much yet, everyone....we had a really warm year last year and the things that normally come back for us (hyaconths and daffs) seemed to bloom at close to normal time, maybe a week earlier than the previous year (maybe they're just all acclimated to the funky Texas climate: 70 one day in Jan and then 18 at night the next!) Our winter this year hasn't been as relatively warm as it has been for some of you - compared to our normals at least. Last year's highs were about 10F higher than during a normal winter.

BTW - from what I have read, the following year's flower forms during the Summer AFTER bloom - so you still have a significant amount of time for cold temps to set in to take care of everything.

I am surprised that some of you have stuff blooming already - I have lots of tips emerging but have seen only one flower - a small violet hyacinth - and that variety is always the first to bloom for me, and has done the same thing (blooming in January) for four years running. It is just one flower, too - most of that group are just showing tips.

Good luck, but I'd just be patient at this point.

Ipheions already blooming here...'Alberto Castillo' anyway. All the others have a lot more vegetative growth than these, but not blooming yet. My Oxalis collection would be blooming a lot better if the sun would ever shine--I don't think we've hardly had more than 3 days in a row where it hasn't rained--and I mean HEAVY rain this winter. =(

Also had 5 freezes this winter so far--only one late Feb last year.

Well, we should get used to it. It's called Global Warming, and we are going to see increasing effects from it in our lifetime and beyond!

yes--you are right--global warming is a fact.

The theme song for this winter here has been provided by CCR--"Who'll Stop The Rain".

I still have my tulip bulbs in the refrigerator. Do you think I'll still be able to plant them, or is it too late? I live in Mississippi. If it is too late, will they keep until next year? We've been having a lot of rain and the ground's really wet.

I would plant them now....you can plant as late as early January in the south (if they've been refrigerated) and still get bloom. I have planted around Jan 1 before. I would not wait though more than a few days from now.

This message was edited Jan 7, 2007 5:58 PM

dmj1218, I just love CCR and that song was/is my favorite!

Well, you guys back east and south are warm but here in the NW, we have had our cold weather and rain for sure! Take it back if you would please, LOL
Carol