too late to plant bulbs?

djdvda

12 years ago

I have a number of bulbs that I purchased earlier in the season- lilies, hollyhocks, irises, and crocusmias.

Is it too late to plant them in the NYC area?

Is it best for me to wait until Spring at this point?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Sort by:Oldest

Comment (1)

vetivert8
12 years ago
If you can pot them up it will stop them drying out and perhaps becoming unviable.

Lilies are 'always' best into the ground as quickly as possible - even if you have to pot them on in spring. Make sure your pots have generous drain holes. If there's only one - it needs to be at least as fat as your thumb - and put the pot on pot-feet. Put them in a cool but non-freeze place. They'll probably survive a solid freeze for a night but I wouldn't count on survival over a sustained freeze. (Hopefully someone who is used to tougher winters than mine will say...)

Iris - reticulata? Juno? Plant now - in pots - free-draining mix. Some might rot out but the others should come through.

Crocosmia is usually dormant over winter - all tatty brown leaves. Plant up later in winter (mid January?) in a rich and free-draining soil so they can be away in spring.

Personally I wouldn't leave them in a pot to come to flowering. Not even a deep one, as they haven't done well for me in pots. Put them out into the garden proper as soon as is wise in spring.

However, despite the Do Not Disturb recommendation, you might have to lift them annually to have them survive, unless you have a good micro-climate in your garden, maybe at the foot of a south-facing wall, that also has a well-drained soil. Zone 7 is supposed to be the bottom of the range for them.

Alcea? Hollyhock? If your ground is still open and warm, and you've added the compost earlier, you could plant out. Trouble is, there's not much time left for the transplant to establish roots before it has to close down for the winter. Perhaps another one/s for pot/s and a low frost to no-frost place inside until spring comes.
Related Discussions
Too late to plant bulbs?
Q
Comments (9)
Berlin is much warmer than anywhere in Maine, but if you are lucky enough to have unfrozen ground then get them in quick. Even if there is a frozen crust, you could break through it to plant down where the soil hasn't frozen yet. It might be a good idea to mulch them if nights are very cold, just to stop the bulbs freezing before they can establish. If you just can't get them in the ground, pot them up and keep them somewhere that is either frost-free (but below 50F) or constantly below freezing but protected from the worst cold. Repeated freeze-thaw can damage potted bulbs and they can be killed temperatures that would be OK if they were six inches down in the ground. In spring you can bring them out for a nice display wherevere you want, even bury the pots in a bed if you want.
...See More
Too late to plant tulip bulbs?
Q
Comments (3)
Its hard to store them properly for the amount of time it would take to get you to the right month for planting. They usually end up drying out and rotting. They need a certain amount of cold to signal the plant to make a flower bud and bloom. For most tulips you have to plant them around Thanksgiving weekend to get enough cold to make flowers the following spring. But nowadays there are plenty of new colors that don't seem to be that rigid about cold. If it is really important to you to get this group of bulbs to bloom you can either pot them up and shove them in your refrigerator for a month or pot them up and let them grow. If some of them bloom then great, if not then let them live as long as you can keep them happy and then let them dry up and appear to die. Take the dead looking plants in their pots to the garage or somewhere out of the sun where they can stay dry. The bulbs should last until fall when you can then plant them in the ground. If they only send up leaves you can usually keep them alive until the end of June or early July. You want to keep the leaves up and happy as long as possible. Or you can just plant them in the ground and see what happens - you might get a few flowers. You never know what treatment they received before you bought them, they have enough chill hours already.
...See More
too late to plant lily bulbs? (June 18)
Q
Comments (3)
I have a stargazer lily. I moved it to several locations and it never did much of anything, before I put it on the south side of my house. It loves it there, It may not flower for a year or 2 but it will flower. I'd post a picture of mine but I don't know how it's done on this site. There is no place to add attachments
...See More
too late to plant bulbs in Alexandria?
Q
Comments (5)
Daffs will do just fine, even if planted in late January [it's possible as long as the soil isn't frozen]. They'll just bloom a bit later than usual. Tulips may or may not do well because they want 30 to 50 "cold days" where the soil is below 36Â°F. If you have been keeping the bulbs in the refrig, you can add in that time when counting cold days. The variation in cold days required depends on the species. BTW, tulips look lovely, but rarely do well in our area due to the clay soil, as well as tulip-snacking squirrels. Improve your chances of success by planting the bulbs in soil which has been amended to be "light" (lots of perlite) or -a bit chancy but easier- plant the bulbs to sit on top of about 3" of coarse gravel with more gravel surrounding the bulb. I used aquarium gravel one year, and that seemed to do okay. 1"-inch wire mesh laid on top of the soil, under 2" mulch will deter most squirrels while permitting the plant to grow and bloom. BTW, in spite of the blustery winds, I've only counted 6 cold days since fall [central Fairfax County].
...See More

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Unsung Bulbs for Fall Planting

By LuAnn Brandsen

Don't hang up your spade after summer — plant these unusual bulbs in fall for a spectacular spring show

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES 7 Bulbs That Flourish in Mild Climates

By Bill Marken

Fall planting: For gardens that don't see harsh winters, different guidelines for choosing and planting spring-blooming bulbs apply

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Beautiful Ways to Landscape With Bulbs

By LuAnn Brandsen

Planting bulbs wisely in fall can turn a spring garden glorious with joyful colors and profuse blooms that last through summer

Full Story

FLOWERS Best Cutting-Garden Beauties for Late Summer

By Paintbox Garden

Pick blooms bursting with color or in classic white for bouquets to give away or keep all to yourself

Full Story

FALL GARDENING 7 Delightfully Different Bulbs for Your Spring Garden

By Matt Kilburn

Fall planting: Stray from the standards for a more exotic spring garden that draws applause

Full Story

FALL GARDENING 6 Splendid Blue-Flowering Bulbs

By Therese Ciesinski

How do you blue? With colors from sky to cobalt, these bulbs will greet you merrily in a spring garden

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Larix Laricina Glows Gold in Late Autumn

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant tamarack for a beautiful late-fall golden display

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES 12 Edibles Perfect to Plant in Late Summer

By Marianne Lipanovich

Keep those homegrown vegetables and greens coming well into fall

Full Story

HOUSEPLANTS How to Force Amaryllis Bulbs Indoors

By creative jewish mom.com

Enjoy vibrant red blossoms even as gardens turn snowy white, by teaching this hardy repeat performer to ignore the calendar

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Gardening With Kids: How to Plant Bulbs

By Alison Hodgson

You don't need expertise to get flowering bulbs in the ground in fall — but kids will feel like gardening pros come spring

Full Story

too late to plant bulbs?

Comment (1)

vetivert8

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US