Bulbs/bulbs

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Expert: Long Island Gardener - 5/8/2007


Question
Recently I pulled some Daffodil bulbs out of the scrap heap. It is early May.Can I plant directly into the soil now,or should I wait till the fall? I live in zone 6.

Answer
Well since I have the oppotunity to elaborate, let me point out that if they do bloom, or even if they don't but they do send up stalks and at the very least LEAVES, let them bloom until spent, keep them in the sun until shrivelled, then REMOVE from the pots you have them in and place in a paper bag and store in the basement, in the coolest, darkest part.

Next October, bring them out again and see what happens next.

Good luck, and keep me posted.

Bulbs

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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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