I realize that in different areas, the timing of different plants may vary considerably.......but having said that, there is NO way any tulips are in bloom when it is finally safe to plant out tomatoes in my area! All that would be left around is the old foliage and would not be too hasty to remove that early. But as Donna indicated, most tulips are not real reliable return flowerers anyway. I think here idea of planting them in containers is an excellent solution. Then you just schlepp the containers to some out of the way-out of sight location after the bloom time and before tomato planting time.

There are really no absolutes. By moving the planting date later, you increase your risk of problems but do not guarantee problems - they could very well grow and bloom fine, there may be minor issues, or they could fail. The greatest likelihood is that there will be minor issues. To my knowledge, your greatest risk is that the plants won't be able to grow roots in time for the soil to freeze (most spring bulbs - all varieties that you listed - begin growing roots in fall when the soil is still warm, and are normally well-rooted by now). That means that in the spring they will be trying to put up flowers in conditions that look like drought even if the soil isn't dry. When it comes to tulips that means "dwarf" plants - they resemble a mature full-sized tulip, but are smaller in all ways, especially in height. When it comes to narcissus it's a full-sized flower that blooms 2-3 inches above the soil line, much shorter than the leaves, which are also a bit shorter than they would be. An additional risk is that bulbs are more susceptible to rotting if they don't have developed root systems before the temperature plummets. So although the plants would have a harder time absorbing water, you do NOT want to over-water to compensate. Water them the same amount that you would in both winter and spring. Do water them well as you plant them to kick-start the rooting process (additionally, moist soil holds more latent heat and resists freezing). Also, do plant them deep enough - or even plant them 1-2 inches deeper than the package says as long as drainage won't be a problem. This will give them a little more time to root as the frost slowly advances downward. By planting them deeper you may even get them to be below the farthest extent of frost, which will allow them to continue rooting all winter. The problems I mentioned could happen, but they may not. There is a risk that you could deal with flowers that fail to develop, but I think this risk is pretty low because as you pointed out, they'll still get a cold period. They don't have to freeze to chill and 40-45 degrees is fine. You'll also get flowers 2-3 weeks later than usual, unless you put them in a particularly warm, sunny spot. As for your alliums, they will probably be fine because they are summer-blooming plants and have more time to develop in the spring. As for your narcissus, I think it's pretty likely that they'll grow and bloom a little shorter than the package says they'll be - but maybe not noticeably so; it's hit or miss. Your tulips are your biggest risk of problems because they're pickier plants; they're the most likely to rot if the soil is too wet, and the variety you picked doesn't perennialize well. However, in my experience of planting tulips very late, they do come up in spring, and the "dwarf" sized leaves continue to expand in size after the blooms die so have a good opportunity to photosynthesize for next year if you do hope for perennialization.

I went back to the garden center where I bought the pansies recently - they said religiously dead-heading them should keep them looking fresh, and so far it's worked, but it hasn't been super-hot yet. After all this, though, I think I'm going to dig up the tulip bulbs this fall. The foliage just browned enough to pull up the last of the leaves/stems LAST WEEK, and to me the foliage looked junky for a long time. (As well as the pansies are doing, they weren't tall enough to hide the tulips.) Thanks for the suggestions of planting perennials like peonies, but I think I'm going to replant the bulbs in a bed of goutweed that I inherited from the previous owner of my house. The blossoms should provide some much needed spring color in that area, and then the foliage won't look too out of place as the goutweed really starts to take off in early summer. Thanks for everyone's help!

I planted daffs, hyacinths, and tulips (for the 1st time last fall) which were all supposed to bloom around the same time. They are planted in a 90 degree corner bed. Those on the sunnier side are doing much better than those that don't get as much sun. 1 type of daff is almost ready to bloom, along with 1 type of tulip and 1 hy on the sunnier side. On the other side, there is only 4 inches of foliage growing for each bulb. I was expecting the back of my entire bed to be full of color by now!!! Not the case. You should at the very least see foliage, and if you look inside your tulips you may be able to see the "flower" still wrapped in green foliage emerging. Watch them over the next few weeks. I suggest taking notes as to which varitey bloom when, and their heights, so that in the fall you can transplant them accordingly. At least that is what I'm going to do. FYI, If your going to keep the tulip bulbs for next year, don't forget to let the foliage turn yellow, this process allows the bulbs to absorb as much nutrients as possible ensuring healthy bulbs and blooms for next year. Good luck! Tammy