Expert: Long Island Gardener - 1/23/2008

Question
QUESTION: I live in Connecticut and have bulbs that were not planted last fall - can I plant next fall?  What happens if I plant as soon as ground thaws?  Thanks.  daffodils

ANSWER: Your best hope is to pot your Tulips asap and place them in the garage (or, if the garage is too cold -- high 30s should be the coldest temp it sees --- your basement or other cold but not freezing space).  Potting mix should be a large percentage of Sand to cut down on rotting.

They may survive and bloom in the Spring.  They may not.  You tilt the odds more in your favor if you pot them and take care of this right now.

Tulips infrequently perennialize.  Daffodils stand a better chance of reappearing in future years and even dividing if you make them happy enough.  You cannot keep them much longer and expect them to have any chance of blooming, unfortunately; they need cold spells to develop roots and trigger dormancy.

Good luck with this.  Any questions, let me know.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi and thank you.  When would i put them in the ground?  after they start to root or as soon as its warm enough?

Answer
Hopefully the ground will still be frozen when these roots are growing.  You don't want them to be too warm, because Tulips go 'blind' when temps get into the high 70s or 80s -- they look like they'll bloom any minute, then suddenly the thing you thought was an opening bud shrivels into nothing.

Cool temps and limited moisture are the most critical variables here.  Your outdoor weather may be the right temps; if so, keep them out there.  They don't need Sun until the stem begins to show.  Lack of Sun makes the stems too long -- and potentially too spindly to support the weight of the flower, which then flops over.  Not the pretty sight you are working for.

How's the weather outside?  Below freezing?  Too cold.