bulbs coming up too early!

15 years ago

It IS December, but we've had a few days here lately that it's been above 60 degrees. Today my thermometer reads 76 degrees!! It's crazy. Usually it's in the 30s or low 40s this time of year.

So a few of my bulbs are starting to come up. Looks like it's some daffodils and hyacinths. (Note that I may be guilty of not planting them deep enough, but temps in the 60s-70s I suppose can't be ignored!) Is there anything I can do? Two weeks ago we had a cold snap and temps were in the single digits with wind chill - now I'm wearing short sleeves outside!

I tried to cover the little sprouts with some leaves. Should I mulch over them? I don't want them all to die out when (if?) it gets normal cold temps again. Especially since I planted a lot of bulbs in the fall - hyacinths, stardrift, alpine bells, crocus, tulips - all kinds of things I am looking forward too!

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Comments (6)

wvbetsy
15 years ago
Don't worry about your bulbs. It's not unusual for them to sprout now. Many of mine are already poking out of the ground. The only time I've had a problem was when some daffodils that bloom in February got buds early and we had single digit temperatures and the buds froze. I don't think you have anything to be concerned about.
jennahw
Original Author
15 years ago
So will they continue to bloom through the spring if they do get that far? I've now covered them over with some boughs from the xmas tree. Should I just uncover them and let them be?
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Do not cut off the leaves. Grape Hyacinths will be the hardiest of the bulbs you dug up so you might want to split them now, but put them back in the ground now and add some bone meal to each hole. Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials
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First, daylilies are not bulbs - they are fleshy-rooted perennials that are incredibly tough and hardy and can be planted anytime of year the soil is workable. Not all iris are bulbs either and many varieties can be planted similar to the daylilies. Most true bulbs that bloom in spring need a period of vernalization to set roots and develop flower buds, that's why they are planted in fall. If insufficient vernalization is provided, they won't bloom, or at least not that first season in the ground. The pre-chilling of spring flowering bulbs in warmer climates achieves the same purpose. IME, January is pretty much the limit on when one can plant spring flowering bulbs and expect them to bloom that spring. And that may be difficult to accomplish in zone 5.....I'd imagine your soils to be pretty well frozen at this time of year :-) The other aspect is that spring flowering bulbs available for sale this late in the planting season tend to be leftovers and of lesser quality....the good stuff's already been sold! One needs to maintain dormant bulbs under proper storage conditions for them to remain viable and they simply don't last forever out of the ground. If you don't have any bulbs on hand to plant now, I wouldn't recommend searching any out. The combination of unsuitable planting conditions (frozen soil or snowcover), the lack of quality bulb sources and the lateness of the season will just serve to produce unsatisfactory, frustrating results. Wait until later when the soil is workable and the weather cooperative to plant perennials like iris and daylilies. And look for already started bulbs (in containers in leaf and often in bud) available at garden centers or other plant outlets when they come in season - February and March in my climate, perhaps a bit later in yours. Or wait until fall to plant the dormant bulbs for the following spring. And pretty much any spring flowering bulb will work in your climate. You just need to do some research on what are bulbs (corms, tubers, etc.) and what are really rooted or rhizomatous perennials.
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I have been where you are and can relate. I would try to tackle this on several fronts at once. This is what worked for me. 1. Visit your doctor and get something to help you sleep. You can't deal with this constructively until you get some rest. There are medicines that help you sleep but don't knock you out so much you can't help your kids in the middle of the night if they need it. If you are against a prescription, maybe try something natural like melatonin. 2. See if you can work your son's preschool to eliminate or limit his nap time there. He obviously doesn't need one. My daughter gave up her nap at 2 1/2. 3. Make it clear to your son that you mean business. Since the TV seems to be his thing, maybe place a jar in his room with say 2 tokens. Tell him each token is good for 1 tv show. Each time you have to ask him to be quiet he loses a token. If he loses all tokens, he get no tv whatsoever that day. Make sure you never give in and let him watch despite losing tokens or they will become meaningless. If all else fails, put the tv in the garage and start taking away toys until he sees reason. Most of all, don't threaten consequences, start actually dealing them out. When your daughter sees there is no payoff to the morning wake up, she will start to come around too. It will be an ugly week or so, but eventually you should be able to get some sleep.
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MissMyGardens
15 years ago
The deer ate the daffodil foliage that started coming up last summer! First time I've had to spray the DAFF foliage to keep the buggers away.

Noticed Hyacinth foliage poking up last weekend.

It was 70 here yesterday...freezing again a couple nights from now. Crazy weather is messin with our plants.
Donna
15 years ago
Your bulbs will likely bloom right on schedule, give or take a little. It's not impossible for them to be damaged by this weather, but it would be extremely unusual. Daffodils, in particular, are very tough. In my opinion, you should uncover them and leave them alone.

The fact is, there are very very many kinds of narcissus, and they bloom at different times. In my garden, they come up in pretty close to the order in which they bloom. So, my early ones are about six inches high, but my late ones have not all emerged yet. Last year, I had some type of narcissus blooming continually from the first week of February until almost May.

I have two kinds of paperwhites blooming right now: Grand Soleil D'Or and Grand Primo (both are only hardy to zone 8).These paperwhites are new this year and I am so excited at how much they are going to extend the season.
jennahw
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks everyone. I'll uncover them then, and can def deal with a few sad looking leaves if that's all that will happen. And after enjoying a couple nice warm days, now I really can't wait till it IS time for them to bloom and me to start planting!

Incidentally, I found a few other threads covering this topic while thumbing through (they didn't show up with whatever search terms I tried to use). I have them bookmarked on my home computer, so I'll try and post them all here if I remember, so they're all on one spot. Thanks again for calming my fears :)
MissMyGardens
15 years ago
The way the temps have fluctuated up and down since a very cold November and then holiday prep I haven't gotten mulch on beds with bulbs yet after rearranging beds they were in. Once it freezes this week they're getting covered with pine needle mulch so they stay colder than if exposed to more temp fluctuations.

I'll gradually move back mulch over bulbs in very early spring giving bulbs room to grow up and away. I've got seeds of Larkspur planted around them with half small water bottle over them (top open) so they don't wash away this winter. Figured it was worth a try.

I think the Hyacinth bulbs were heaved up a bit as they weren't mulched during very cold spell and they're peeking up after being planted 5-6" deep in little raised corner bed. Nothing like the smell of Hyacinths to make me feel good in early spring.

bulbs coming up too early!

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wvbetsy

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bulbs coming up too early!

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wvbetsy

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Donna

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