New bulbs should bloom, assuming they were reasonable sizes to begin with and weren't stored poorly before sale (if you bought them late in the season as leftovers or if they were kept outside in high temperatures at a box store like Home Depot or Wal-Mart, well....)

Transplanted bulbs can be shocked into not blooming the nest year. I would not dig them up, but would fertilize them and let them go through another year in their current spots.

Thanks for your reply. For years now I've been getting all my bulbs from Breck's, taking care to plant quickly when they arrive and have never had this problem with new bulbs before - everything has always come up beautifully.

That's why I asked about depth - maybe I got too abmitious with my shovel that day? Can being planted too deep cause this type of behavior?

Breck's bulbs are very uneven quality....they use many suppliers I understand.
Contact them, they may replace them....but Breck's are not generally thought of as a supplier of "quality garden material".
Linda C

Ok - so now after all these years I learn I've been working with low quality bulbs :( - but since I've usually had such nice results does that mean I have superior skills? ;)

Seriously - thanks for the advice Linda. Are there some other vendors you could recommend?

Cynthia,
Just came across your post...if you go to Gardenwatchdog.com and then "Browse by First Letter" (C for Colorblends.com) you will find that Colorblends has a 100% rating for their quality and customer satisfaction. I have heard nothing but GREAT reviews on their specialties of tulips and daffodils. I finally ordered a bunch of each. I grow for bouquets I sell locally. $50 minimum order. Hope this helps. Phyl

I'm wondering if, maybe, they were disturbed a little early last season and failed to set a flower. Or if they might appreciate some food this season before they turn yellow. Something with a good potash content - wood ashes, for example.

Did they have a ripening time in the sun before you put them away? Or did they get a little too much sun for some reason? (Inadvertent parboiling...)

You're suspecting the depth of planting so it's probably not a consequence of freezing..

If you were to lift them early, have you a patch of prepared ground in which to put them while they finish the season? If they're shifted with a good clump of earth around the roots they'll probably keep growing on.

I wouldn't disturb them. It just could have been a weak batch.

If you are in New England the wet and nasty spring and early summer we had could have done it too. I had more than a few things pass on blooming or when they did the rain beat them down. Weather stunk for growing anything but rain forest plants.

Thanks for the input everyone! Looks like Colorblends have received lots of recommendations.

After this season in which many things did not perform as well as in previous years, I am inclined to leave the bulbs alone (I did feed them well after flowering) and see what happens next Spring.

But I am still wondering - What DOES happen if bulbs are planted too deeply?

"What DOES happen if bulbs are planted too deeply?"

I guess it all depend on two factors,
a)which bulbs you are talking about and
b)how deep is the 'deep'.

Few cases from my own experience.

Once upon a time I planted banch of crocuses and spanish bluebells in a lawn at the edge of the woods. They were planted shallow, not more than 3" deep and bloomed perfectly for several seasons.
Last fall part of this area was converted into raised bed and 5 to 7" of top soil/leaf mold/compost was added right on top of the existing grass. No Roundup.
This year both bulbs bloomed as usual in lawn, but only bluebells sprouted in the raised bed area. They bloomed at the same time and as profusely as those in a lawn. Apparently 7-10" wasn't TOO deep for them, but was TOO deep for the crocuses.
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Another example, Tulips 'Pink Impression'.
They were planted in 2003 in a 18" high raised bed at exactly 8" depth. I know this for sure since I put 10" of soil first, lay them on a new ground and then covered with 8" of a soil.
They bloomed perfectly in 2004, but only few sprouted in 2005. When I decided to remove them after such poor performance, I found a lot of non-blooming bulbs at 12" or even deeper. Bulbs didn't split and were of regular size, but simply were not able to go thru such thick layer of soil plus mulch. I replanted them at the proper depth. Result is below.
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Third example. Gladiolas.
As per planting instructions I originally planted them at 6-8". All bloomed. Next year only about 1/3 sprouted and all were weak and floppy.
Next spring I planted new batch, but only at 10-12". More than half came back and they were producing much sturdier stems. Now I'm planting them at 12-14" and on a very rare ocassion require staking. Rate of return now is about 75-80%.
{{gwi:16007}}

Early Narcissus - the ones with green rather than blue-tinged leaves - will definitely come up from 10-12". And the bluebells. They both appreciate heavy soil, in my experience, and their 'will to live' is powerful. (The ones at the bottom of the compost heap, for example!)

Our winter has also been very wet, and I'm noticing plants I'd thought had faded into demise are showing up, along with clumps of tulips from LONG ago. Hasn't all been bad.

In the past I ordered from Brecks. I had ok results but also uneven growth height. Then I ordered a lot from DUTCH GARDENS and had excelent results. I like them because I get the biggest bulbs. Never got anything from color blends. I used brecks because they had (have) the "send to to me and I pay later plan". Are there any others that ship to me without prepaying???? But now that I have found a grower of bulbs within 30 miles I go there.