Spring Bulbs Planted Late

tulips, left, hyacinths (center) and crocus still need to get planted. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Spring Bulbs Late Into Your Garden

 Do you have a few bags of spring bulbs you haven’t planted yet? Me, too. I thought I was going to get these in the ground earlier this fall but something else kept getting priority or the weather didn’t cooperate. So I thought planting them in winter was going to get warmer....?? 

Here’s the good news. There’s still time to get spring bulbs in the ground if your ground is not frozen and you get it done by early January. In USDA Hardiness zone 6b where I live, winter now may last 3-4 months so the earlier I can get them in the ground the better.

Exposing bulbs to cold temperatures stimulates a bio-chemical response that “turns on” flower formation and initiates root growth.

What happens if you wait longer? The bulbs may grow but the flowers will bloom towards the base of the bulb instead of fully extending above leaves. I had a few of those last year. Yes, I planted some bulbs in January last year. Apparently I need to learn this lesson again.

Feed Your Bulbs

If you’ve ever dug daffodil bulbs up in the fall – I tend to get a few relocated by mistake because I don’t remember where I planted them – the bulbs will have roots starting. Feed those roots.

Garden augers are now popular garden tools for easy hole digging. On my limestone hill, I use pick axes, it’s the only way to safely find a planting spot. You can also use a bulb digger that easily removes the soil from a hole. Shovels, by the way, also work quite well. Use whatever works best for your garden conditions. 

If you haven’t spread your compost out in the garden, this would be a good time to empty the composter and sprinkle the compost in your bulb holes. Also pick up a bag of bone meal at your local home and garden center before planting. Bone meal is excellent bulb food and will give bulbs extra food once their frozen state triggers growth.

How Long Cold Do Bulbs Need
 
Now here’s a cheat sheet on how much cold popular spring bulbs need in case you put this off any longer:

Crocus: 12-15 weeks 35 to 45 F or lower
Daffodils: 12-16 weeks at 40-45F or lower
Grape hyacinths: 10 weeks 40F or lower
Hyacinths: 10 week 40F or lower
Tulips: 6-14 weeks at 35-45F or lower

Potted Bulb Gardens

If time just gets away from you, plant the bulbs in pots. Water. Cover and store them in a refrigerator to give them the cold spell they need. You can make fun pot gardens with tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus. The bulbs will bloom at different times giving a tiny spring display in a pot. When they are done, plant them back in the garden to collect new energy from the sun in their bulbs.

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Charlotte