Planting Bulbs In The Spring

Can I plant tulip bulbs in the Spring? Will they rot?

Hardiness Zone: 8a

Teresa from Burgaw, NC

Answers:

Planting Bulbs In The Spring

You can plant several bulbs in a dish on top of stones or in soil and have an early spring in the house, when they are done, I plant them in the garden for many years of spring flowers. I never dig them up and they reproduce each year. If you must plant them in the spring put them in asap and you may get flowers this year but will for sure next year. If you leave them to next fall, you will not have any bulbs to plant they will be dead. So have a lovely indoor spring and later an outdoor one as well. susan from hamilton (02/02/2005)

By Susan from Hamilton

Planting Bulbs In The Spring

Don't wait for spring. If the ground is not frozen plant them as soon as possible. If the ground is frozen where you are, plant them as soon as the ground thaws. In the mean time store them in a cool dry place. A refrigerator works well. Depending on when you get them in the ground, they may or may not bloom this spring but if you don't plant them and they dry up they definitely won't bloom, ever.

Most bulbs need a "cooling period" in order to bloom and depending on how you have them stored now and when you get them in the ground and the amount of cold weather left before spring will determine what happens. I planted some bulbs a few years ago in January and they bloomed about 3-4 weeks later than the others planted years before. In the next years they bloomed at the regular time.

If you have squirrels where you live put down chicken wire over your planting bed and then cover with mulch. This will keep the critters from digging and eating your bulbs.

Good luck!