My order of daffy's, tulips and other bulbs delayed! :-(

16 years ago

I put in an order a while ago with a very reputable online site and I recently found out, that most of my order (which included daffodils, tulips, hyaciths, iris, and miniature lamb's ears) will not ship until Mid-October!!! They were supposed to ship around now. The reason was that they are not ready. Hmm???

With the month and a half delay, I know I can prep their beds, so when they come, I can plant them, but isn't mid October kind of late? I live in SE PA and we could have warm weather one day and frost the next night.

What can anyone recommend to ensure that the bulbs survive?

I am more concerned with the miniature lambs ear. Should I make a little cloche for it? Or will that kill them?

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Comments (7)

hopflower
16 years ago
I know what you mean, but around in my area many varieties of plantlife are not typical this year, so perhaps they are indeed not ready for shipping yet. It seems that our weather globally is changing, and this makes for some very unreliable conditions everywhere. As long as you plant bulbs before ground freezing weather, they should be fine. Even then, one night of frost is not going to necessarily stick around. It could be very superficial.

It is disappointing, though, to not get the order you were expecting. I was told I would not get some of mine until December or January! The rest would come, as you say, in October.
Janine Starykowicz
16 years ago
Have you called the company? Last year I ordered a whole slew of Tete a Tete daffs, and for some reason it was listed for a December delivery. I didn't realize that, and kept putting off planting everything else until that order was supposed to come. When I finally called them, it turned out to be a mistake and they gave me a refund because they were sold out.
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How about some info from a gal? My concern is Â what is going to happen with them? Will I get blooms in spring? Yes, they will bloom in the spring just fine. I have mulch. Should I get some down right away? Cuz now that I think of it, I calculated the planting depth (as instructed on a tulip site) by including the 2" of mulch IÂd planned on using. Maybe thatÂs what caused this? Too close to the surface? Some folks count the mulch in the planting depth, and others don't. I think that really depends upon the plant or bulb, and the type of mulch. I would think that in your zone no more than 1" would really be needed to keep weed seed germination down and for 'looks'. I use shredded bark mulch and figure 2" equals about 1" of soil. And you say they need more cover. Does that mean normally they'd still be doing this growing under the ground? Yes And if so, does that mean they'd still have sprouted in a few weeks anyway? Yes possibly. They would however emerged somewhat later, if they they had more soil/mulch that they had to grow up through. I thought that they spent the winter setting root and then, prior to early, mid, or late spring (depending on the bulb type) THAT was when they started sending up shoots. Had the bulbs been planted earlier, they would have probably rooted in before starting to send up shoots. I have bulbs that have not yet been planted, so they have no roots, but several different cultivars have sent up green shoots from the top of the bulbs. I guess I just thought that since tulips only bloom once that this was the beginning of that growth. And if they freeze then they won't grow a 2nd time. The botanical tulips you planted are good ones for perennializing, unlike so many others. You say early sprouting bulbs is no big deal. So what happens next? Do they continue to grow until they die off from a freeze? And if so, that won't affect them blooming next year? The bloom bud is tucked safely inside of the bulb and will emerge at the right time. Trust me when I say that bulbs survive being planted in soil that freezes, and still continue to bloom just fine. In many area the soil freezes a lot deeper than one plants bulbs. Now a bulb just thrown into a freezer won't survive though. I didn't want the mulch holding in water when my ground is already mud. So long as the planting area has fairly good drainage, the bulbs should be fine. It should not hurt them to be in moist soil, with or without mulch. Often when the fall rains set in here in my area, the soil is very wet for a very long time, like maybe until it freezes for the winter. You don't sound like a dummy. You sound like an individual who invested in and planted some wonderful spring blooming bulbs. It is common for one to be concerned that they will be all right. I can tell you will enjoy your new spring blooms so much that chances are you will be adding to them in the years to come. Sue
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fayeraven
16 years ago
I've planted daffs at Christmas, as long as the ground isn't frozen. I order from several companies, so I wait til they are all shipped. (storing them in my cool basement in the meantime) They usually ship by zone i.e., the colder climates first. Also, as mentioned above, sometime the harvest is delayed which holds up everything. What gets me, are the companies that charge your credit card as soon as the order is placed, and not when the bulbs are shipped. One company new to me, did this this year. I am taking them off my list in the future. I live in central MD in the mountains so I always consider myself to be in a colder region than 15 miles "down the road."
pitimpinai
16 years ago
I usually receive mine in Mid-October. You are in warmer area, so Mid-October is not late.
It is better to plant them when the ground is cooler, so they don't rot or start to send up shoots so early.

Anyway, I like to plant mine as soon as they arrive, because if I wait until the ground is cooler, chances are the weather will be nasty and it's not fun to plant.

Last year, it was very warm well into January. I was transplanting stuffs until then. It's probably going to be the same this winter.
georgia-rose
16 years ago
If the bulb companies are shipping to Zone 5 in mid-October, wonder when they will get around to me?
I have placed a large order with one company and a small one with another and requested ship dates in September. Neither has notified me that they are unable to meet those dates.
Since the soil temperature here seldom falls below freezing anymore, I like to pre-chill the bulbs before planting to increase the possibility that I will see some nice flowers in the spring.
fayraven...I completely agree with you regarding any company that charges your credit card when the order is placed. They were removed from my list a long time ago. I consider that extremely poor business practice, especially since they don't have the merchandise in stock and can't reserve it for you.
The big box stores have bulbs in stock now, wonder why their harvest wasn't delayed? Have those been in cold storage for a year? Hmmm!
cynthianovak
16 years ago
georgia-rose
be sure you tell the company that you want to prechill yours. Where I order, there is a box to check. That way, I get my tulips aroudn October 10th. I also tell them when I call in my order.

Which comany is running so late? Maybe all.

Haven't ordered yet....
Carrie B
16 years ago
Mid to late October is ideal planting time in SEPA for most spring-blooming bulbs. I've planted bulbs up to late November, or later, with no bad results. It may very well be that they are not shipping your bulbs now bacause it is not yet the best time for planting!

My order of daffy's, tulips and other bulbs delayed! :-(

Comments (7)

hopflower

Janine Starykowicz

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