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Bulbs/storing tulip bulbs
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Question
Could you please tell me if there is any way to store tulip bulbs(also grape hyicinth) until the spring?(and if I plant them early spring, will they flower that spring/summer?) I live in west Michigan and got a great deal on tulip bulbs at the end of the fall season , but didn't have a chance to plant them in the ground. I'd hate to see all of them go to waste, I have over 100 bulbs. Please let me know how and where I can keep them over the winter.
Thank you !!!!
Julie
Unplanted Spring Bulbs should be planted in Soil and held over artificially until Spring, when they can be put outside.
Puncture the side of an old Garbage Can (or a new one) and alternate layers of sharp Sand, Bone Meal, loamy Soil, and Bulbs. Water once, let drain and do not water again. Store in a garage or enclosed area where it does not freeze. In early Spring, dig up and plant in pots or, if the ground is workable, in the ground in the Sunniest location you have, and wait.
Keep copious notes of what and where you are planting these, as you will have no clue which Bulb is which when you go to retrieve them. Bulbs do not have little signs on them. They all look alike.
Any questions?
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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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