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Bulbs/Tulips sprouting early

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Expert: Long Island Gardener - 3/27/2008


Question
Hi I live in zone 5 I think (54983, WI. It is late march here are the snow is starting to melt and my tulips are also starting to sprout. It seems to early to me as we will still get several hard frosts and probably some snow. Should i mulch them or is this normal and they will be ok?

Answer
Early Tulips will probably be O.K. but rest assured you are not the only gardener watching in horror as your Spring Bulbs wake up early.  This happens every year.

Make sure no one steps on them.  Especially if it snows and no one can see them.  If they get stepped on, you're out of luck.

I would let them be and watch the show in a few weeks.  Single Earlies are not supposed to come up before Daffodils, but they will probably be O.K. this year.  If it is still VERY cold, carefully mulching will protect them, but the cat's out of the bag now and they will bloom no matter what you do.  Next year, plant them deeper.  Good luck and thanks for writing,

L.I.G.

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.

Experience

Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.

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