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Spring bulbs sprouting ?

17 years ago

I've just noticed that some of my spring bulbs are sprouting - they would be either muscari or scilla, I'm not sure which - I didn't label all that well :-) Is this a little strange ? I put in these bulbs last fall, and they bloomed beautifully this spring - but is this how they behave ? I'm worried this might hurt the spring growth - any ideas ?

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Comments (4)

oldroser
17 years ago
Probably muscari - one of the drawbacks of the grape hyacinths is that they throw up foliage in fall and then stay green all winter and bloom in spring - or maybe it's an advantage. But it can be a nuisance if you want to make a clean sweep of the area they're in. Don't worry - the usual thing with them.
philomena
Original Author
17 years ago
That's good news, that this is usual behavior. I do recall, now, that not long after planting the bulbs last year, we had a period of very warm, spring like weather, and that the bulbs sprouted a little. I thought it was because of the weather. The leaves got nibbled by something - deer, woodchuck, I'm not sure, but recovered fine. Looks like they are naturalizing nicely - the clumps are much larger this year.

Thanks for the info :-)
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Don't worry; bulbs have been around a lot longer than humans. They're very adaptable. You'll find that the parts poking out now are "expendible", and if they freeze, the leaves may look a little burnt, but the buds are still down in the ground for now (except perhaps daffodils, which can bud out at 20F and still be fine to bloom later).
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Hi there, Im no expert, but honestly I think your being too protective of them. A lot of bulbs love the cold, and in fact in most species it is what keeps them dormant. From what I have read in your post it sounds like what you have done by keeping them indoors is you have actually forced them. What I would do at this point is take them back outside and sit them next to your building. It will give off a little radiant heat if you are worried about them freezing, and at the same time it should knock them back into dormancy. 8b temps though really wont give them much of a challenge. Water them a couple times over the winter and then come spring watch them sprout back up. Dont worry it the foliage gets frosted back, it may not. A lot of bulbs grow foliage all winter for spring blooms. Your other option is to keep them inside and watch them grow then when temps are equal to inside you can sit them out. Good luck, dont worry most spring bulbs are pretty hard to kill. Jason
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Dried and shriveled? It's quite possible you've lost this year's bloom :-(. Time will tell for sure. But there is a bit of a silver lining - since the bulb won't be putting all that energy into the flower this year, it might have an outstanding year next year, or it might divide into two big bulbs. I've clearly lost a couple of Allium flowers - they sprouted and got chomped by the squirrels. I buried the rest of them under some wood shavings and I'm hoping that is enough to save them. Right now they've also got 20-30 cm of snow on them, but when the temps first got cold, there was no snow cover. BP
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Ummmm are you sure that it was glad seeds? I have never heard of glad seeds before...just corms. Trollius (globe flower) both yellow and orange will do well here. Freesia bulbs may or may not flower for you the first year. They sometimes spend the year (growing season) dividing instead. Sometimes sending up what looks like grass leaves. If that happens you will probably get flowers the next year. Veseys will send their bulbs out later in the season when they feel they can be planted in your area. Sometimes they are right sometimes not. LOL! Freesias and glads will have to be lifted in the fall and brought indoors for the winter. Trollius is a hardy perennial and can stay in the ground. I am not familiar with Stars of India (achimenes). Happy Gardening, Sierra
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kayjones
17 years ago
I have hyacinth and lily bulbs trying to break ground, so I just covered them with more soil - they will have to wait until spring in my garden.
susanzone5 (NY)
17 years ago
My bulbs do this every year, even throughout the winter after warm days. As long as the flower buds are safely underground, they'll be fine.

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