Question on very late bulb planting

Thanks to a family crisis, my spring-flowering bulbs didn't get planted this fall; and with family issues and the approaching holidays, no chance it will happen until the new year. I refrigerated the bulbs immediately on arrival, and there they remain. Any advice on when I can plant them with any hope of success? Or are they a lost cause? We are in zone 7a, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, and our last frost usually comes in mid-April. Thanks in advance for any help!

You did not mention the type of bulb & quantity, but as long as the ground is not frozen you can plant them in January. If this is not possible, pot them up then set them outdoors. Bulbs can be transfered later into yard.

I'm sort of in the same boat. I'm going to try to plant some in medium/large containers and keep them out in my unheated screened porch. I figure if I cover them with a lot of newspaper and give them a rare drink, they'll get through the winter. Come spring, I guess I could pot them in the ground. Or, BeaHive, do you think I can just leave them in the pots and enjoy them that way? Tulips don't usually last more than one season here anyway.

My Tulips aren't planted yet, in purpose, it's now time to plant, but I've to wait until the ground gets a little drier.... It's NOT too late, as so long we've those bulbs in the fridge for the chilling period.

I agree wirth Lily Love - my tulips are still in the refrigerator though nearly everything else is in the ground. I don't think your winters are that much colder than ours, spartacus - I usually plant in December and sometimes just before Christmas. Not too late for those of us in the south.

Thanks, all, for the helpful advice! In terms of type and quantity, I fortunately bought modestly this year: probably 50 - 60 bulbs in all. A few double daffs, the rest species and parrot tulips. We've been having temps dropping into the mid or low 20's at night for several weeks now, so it's pretty darn cold. Turned colder sooner than usual this year.

georgiajo..I have bulbs in pots, in the ground and even in window boxes. They are very easy going. You can enjoy them in your pots this year, store them in a cool place during the summer and plant them again next year either in the ground our pots. There should be no reason to have to relpace them very year.

Sometimes you have force yourself to make the time.
It doesn't take all that long to put bulbs in the ground, and the digging will keep you warm. You spent a lot of time looking for and buying bulbs, and a lot of money too, don't let it go to waste!

Several years ago I had a major surgery coming up, and the afternoon before I ran outside to plant my bulbs (2nd week of Dec). By the end of the day I was just digging holes and tossing bulbs in, but the next summer I had a lovely garden.
Well, lovely to me, anyhow. I didn't think about when the bulbs would bloom, and planted all my tall Alliums around the edge of a circular garden and all the lilies in the middle. It looked funny to have a ring of Alliums garden and bare dirt in the middle, but oh, well!

I'm really a procrastinator, I have to force myself to turn off the tv and get away from the computer and do some work!

Yes BeaHive - I find that daffs and hyacinths come back (at least if I plant them in larger containers). Tulips are a different story though, and I dearly love tulips.
Lakesidecallas, I agree. It is hard to get started but once you do it feels good.
Spartacusaby, it has been really cold here too. Much earlier than usual. Maybe we'll get one of those glorious long springs to repay us!
jo

I always plant my bulbs late, on purpose. We just finished this week of planting more than 6000 new bulbs. One reason is that the bulbs like the ground temperatures to be cool when planted. Having the ground temps under 60 degrees is ideal, but above freezing. I like working outside doing all that work when it is cool too. Plus, planting late allows me time to properly clean up all the beds before I plant the bulbs which makes planting them way easier to plant. I do leave the lily stalks in place so we don't drill them in error.

I also can order a mess more bulbs from the great bulb sales that happen in late Nov and still plant them with all the others that I stockpile in a cool space in our house. DH and I did a marathon planting for 3 1/2 days. Both of us are still recovering, but we will be beyond happy with having a sore back for a few days come next spring when the garden is glorious. Hopefully.

I also have planted many bulbs at our Vt house during the Jan thaw. There is certainly that old adage that If you can dig, and the bulbs are not mushy, then most of them can be planted and will do beautifully. Don't despair, just plant them. Patti

Yes, once a year who can resist beauty as this? This was this year Tulip bed. DH and I labored every year around this time just to rip the reward for the following spring.

Thanks, all; I'll hope for a slightly warmer day in January, and then just put the family issues on hold for a day to get these in the ground!

We just finished planting the last box of bulbs today from eflowergarden's sale on the classifieds. Done for the year. We planted 7235 for sure, plus maybe 75 more that I am confused about. It will be glorious come spring, hopefully. The weather was in the mid 50's, so it was a perfect day to be outside all day. We even took a chance and planted more garlic bulbs in the veggie patch today.

spartacusaby, Good luck with your final planting in Jan. They should do just fine. Hope all is well with your family. Patti

I am jealous of your weather, bbrookrd - we didn't get out of the 20's all day today!!!

I finally finished bulb planting this past weekend, whew! Even though I don't plant nearly as many as 7,000, each was planted in existing perennial beds one by one. Ow, my aching arms and wrists today...It had better be a spring extravaganza around here a few months from now, lol!!

Just saw your thread while I was out and about, mostly lurking. For what it's worth, my take on this is as follows. I think the tulips will be fine planted late, although I would suggest keeping them chilled either in the fridge or garage until planting time (as long as they don't freeze).

Daffodils are a slightly different story. In my area they are supposed to be in the ground no later than Nov. From what I've read they need more time than other bulbs to develop their root system in order to bloom at all well. If you get them in the ground too late, they may not bloom for you this spring or if they do the blooms may be small and poorly developed, but they will probably be fine by the following spring.

Bottom line, you should definitely plant them when you get the chance no matter how late it is. Left unplanted the bulbs will surely deteriorate before the following year, so your best bet is to plant them when you can and hope for the best. If all else fails, I would 'second' the idea of either digging large holes and tossing them in 'in mass' (which makes for lovely drifts of color BTW) and/or putting some in large pots. When faced with circumstances similar to the ones you describe, I have kept bulbs planted in large pots even through our hot summers and then planted them in the ground the following year. Better to get them planted somewhere, anywhere than to leave them sitting around to long - IMHO, of course.

Thanks, all, for the helpful advice. I'll definitely get these guys planted in January, and will hope for the best. Even if it's too late for some this year, hopefully they'll come back the following year. And kudos to those whose bulb count numbers in the thousands: would love to see those spring displays! Enjoy the holidays, everyone-
Ruth

I planted a lot of daffs in January last year and most did fine -- they just came up very late.

I am relieved to have read all this, I thought my bulbs would be toast as well, since they are not yet in the ground. Everything from alliums, tulips, bluebells and daffodils still sits in the fridge. Guess I better get out the shovel.... weather is perfect for it today in Tennessee.

BB, let's plant our bulbs. I'm doing the same thing here in Al. :-)

Here is my project, finally done before wintery weather returns! It has been unseasonably warm this past week. Beginning tomorrow, it's going be in the teens by Monday ewk!!!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/901764/

Hey, LL:) Nice looking patch there! We've been unseasonably warm, too. Finally cooling down and ewk, raining! I thought that I had all my bulbs planted, but found a few daffs more that need to go in. Soon as it stops raining and my wrists stop throbbing, lol!

Lots of zone 7 folks on this thread. I was still planting bulbs between christmas and new years, without any problems. This year, foolishly counting on the same ability, the ground has been frozen for the past 2 weeks. Like last year, I still have quite a few bulbs to plant. I guess putting into pots is my only option. I have a lot of black plastic gardening types ( I used to work in construction and they were always in supply), and large clay pots from annuals. Does it make a difference which pot? Also, should I keep them in garage, for it's looking to be a very cold winter? Overnights have been teens and single digits. I always say that I'm going to get things done on time this year, but never happens. Hello, my name is Paul, and I'm a procrastinator. LOL Thanks for suggestions.

Paul: I'm with you. I'd plant them in pots and keep them outside, myself. I can't speak from experience. But last year I bought same bare root plants in the winter and potted them up and kept them inside. They didn't do great -- some made it but many didn't. If I do it again, I'll put them directly outside. I realize bare root plants are not bulbs, but still . . . .

For out door planting be sure to you choose a nonbreakable container due to the freezing and thawing (expanding/contracting) mechanisms. Also, the soil can be frozen if used smaller pots/containers, so I would avoid those. I've several large pots 10 gallons plus that I used for outdoor over winter, but remember, I'm in the South where ole man winter isn't very harsh on us over the next few months, and most of all, He arrives late, and leaves us early - a bonus for us gardeners here.

H.M. How did you fare out with the broken watermain nearby (Bethesda)? I saw that in the news and couldn't believe the magnitude of those water pipe flooding the area.

Merry Christmas everyone, happy gardening and looking forward to a beautiful spring.

Thanks for asking, Lily. The broken water main wasn't very close to our house, and we didn't lose water -- but was on a road we drive on frequently so it felt close to home. No one we know what involved in it. The pictures were horrifying -- we were glued to the tv.

I thought I was done...but temps are supposed to be in the high 50's on Friday and Monday, so I am going to attempt to get the remainder of my bulbs in the ground.

An unexpected last minute weather reprieve--the gardener's best friend *grin*



Susan in Kansas

Me too! I consider it an unexpected Christmas present.