IMHO ... it would be better than storing them and planting in spring ...

if done now.. at least you have a chance at bloom ...

they will grow some roots this fall.. to trigger spring bloom ... depending on soil warmth ....

if you do it in spring.. i bet they wont bloom ...

but there is always next year ... for blooming i mean ...

ken

For pots, can I keep it the basement or hallway for a week after planting then move it to the attached garage. Would that increase their chance of blooming? The basement and the hallway is usually about 65 degrees.

I listen to a gardening show out of Cincinnatti,OH every week-In The Garden With Ron Wilson, and Ron Wilson says that if you can still dig in the ground- in other words, it isn't frozen, you can plant Spring blooming bulbs until you can't dig any more. The longer you wait, as in February or March, the less chance you have for the bulbs to bloom that year.

I'd definitely go ahead and plant.

Linda

PS If you enjoy listening to gardening shows, this show streams and there are past shows that you can listen to also. He's on live on Saturday mornings, but we get it here from a local station on Sunday afternoon - and if I miss it, I stream it on my computer. I learn a lot by listening to him, his guests, and Ron answering listeners questions.

I always plant my tulips in late Oct. or early Nov. because it's easier to get between perennials after a freeze.

No worries, plant away! I traditionally finish up bulb planting on Thanksgiving weekend. Sometimes that fails me and we're already snowed in by then, but often it works out!

This is the perfect time to plant tulips - plant them deep.

I still have more to plant this week. It's a fine time for it! (I'm in Ontario and we've had night freezing a few times already, but not enough to prevent digging deeply.)

double post

This post was edited by gardenbug on Wed, Nov 13, 13 at 20:02

Yes, plant them deep and late.

Thanks all. How deep should I plant them?

8 inches

It better not be! I just received my Scheeper's order and can't plant until this weekend (the 24 or so)
In my younger days when we lived in NH and I didn't mind freezing so much, many, many times we planted when it was snowing or sleeting. the ground was not frozen, however.
Everything came up fine. things might have been 8 or 10 days later, but I don't think you could definitively attribute it to the first year bulb (less established) late bloom or later planting. In subsequent years it is evened out.
If you are expecting them to start in frozen ground, that might be another story.

Definitely plant as long as you can dig!!!! You can get fantastic prices on bulbs right now as they are trying to sell the remainder before winter.

:)

I know I'm in a little bit warmer zone, but I planted tulips and daffs in December and mid-January the last two years. They came up and bloomed just fine. I say go for it!

I've planted daffodils in January in the past here in zone 6, and they were fine. Still have a few bags of tulips to plant (meant to do that today but didn't get to it) but they are going in pots anyway, so no problem there.

Good luck!
Dee

I bought several varieties of tulips today at 75% off. Most will go in pots that I will sink in predug holes for the winter. In the spring the pots will be lifted for my deck display. Temps have been below freezing for a few days and nights. Hope the ground isn't completely frozen.

Agree that as long as you can still dig in the dirt, you can plant them! With that many bulbs, if you're putting them in a new bed, it's often easier to dig out an area at a time. Start at a corner in the back, shovel the dirt onto the adjacent soil, set in your bulbs & cover with the soil you just dug. Leaving a thin edge of undisturbed soil between allows you to keep repeating this process until you're done. Often easier than using a bulb digger to spot them in place. If you're putting down a bulb booster type of fertilizer below the bulbs, makes that easier to drop a shallow layer of soil on top of that before putting in the bulbs, too.

However you dig them in, consider covering the soil with leaves or shredded mulch to help insulate the soil to encourage root growth before the ground freezes.

What a stunning display that will be next Spring!

If you decide to pot up some, there's no need to keep them inside your house. Water them well & put them right in the garage as long as that location stays above freezing most of the time. Might put something down beneath the pots to catch water run-off, since you'll need to water them periodically throughout the Winter to keep the soil from drying out. You can water them in place or bring them into the house to water & drain before putting back in the garage. Whatever's most convenient.

I'm in a warmer cold season area, and often pot bulbs this time of year. I can place the pots outside in a sheltered spot, cover them with leaves, bring them in after a month or more to a sunny but cool window & allow them to grow & bloom for an early Spring preview. For those left outside, when they begin to bud or bloom, I drop the pots in an outside planter or even transplant them in the garden then if conditions allow. Enjoy their bounty with your twins!

Oops. Brent and Becky is having their end of the year clearance and I just ordered several dozen new bulbs. Hope the ground thaws next week!

Oops. Brent and Becky is having their end of the year clearance and I just ordered several dozen new bulbs. Hope the ground thaws next week!

I planted 100s of tulip bulbs in late Nov and early Dec in my Michigan garden. I could easily dig in the soil. However, I didn't plant 8" deep. Now I am worried. However, I could not resist the sales and bought a lot of bulbs. I hope they come up.

Here in Zone 8b /9a I planted the ones that were cooled for 15 weeks last week in Dec. Then, another batch Jan 15 (which were only pre-chilled for 12 weeks) Haven't been as healthy this year so dug huge beds and put them in together in 4 beds so far. Also planted 8 inches deep because I didn't know we were going to have such cold weather and was afraid the sun would make them come up too fast (they are in full sun, because the city came and clipped the trees robbing me of the partial shade!)

We are having the coldest weather our city has seen in decades (Southeast Coast). We haven't had that much rain though. I feel they need a drink of water, since they are on a; hill and water doesn't stand or sink in so well.

Will watering the bulbs hurt them when we are having these cold night time temps (25 to 40 degrees) ? Last year I watered carefully and everything went beautifully but I got them in 2 weeks earlier, and we didn't have such cold temps. Should I go ahead and water them? I'm really afraid of watering when it's so cold.