If I plant tulips now will they flower? The instructions just say plant before danger of frost. One is a mix of tulip bulbs. The other bag is Queen of Night. Thanks!
Tulips have to be planted in the fall about 3 weeks before first frost when the soil temp is roughly 40-50 degreesF (4-10 deg C) so they have time to develop roots to bloom in early to mid spring. If you plant them this late they will rot in the soggy spring soil before even getting a chance to set down roots. You could probably store them for the summer pretty much the same way you would store tender bulbs over the winter to be planted next fall.
Thanks Toni. That's the procrastinator in me! Though I guess by the time I bought them in December it was probably too late to plant them then anyway. I'll leave them in the storage room and hope to remember to plant them in the fall!
I would plant them. Just to have it done. They most likely won't flower on time, if at all this spring, but if I decided to store them I would probably forget to put them in the ground in the fall.
i would plant them now as well.....and when i get tulips or daffs for an easter plant, i plant them as soon as the blooms die as well...but you do what you need to....that's the beauty of gardening...you follow 'general' rules, but there are so many options. good luck!
Yeah I keep thinking I should maybe just put them in the ground now or I'll probably forget in the fall. They weren't too expensive. Got them for half price when the garden shop was closing down early December. Worse case scenario I can buy more and try to remember to plant them!
I know that tulips are fall bulbs, but I have to tell you that our garden center had those small pots of tulips left over from Easter last year & they were 2 for $1.00. So I took a chance & guess what? I have 14 tulip plants up with buds on them, right now!
Wow! That's great! I nearly bought some in pots last year too from Home Depot after they'd wilted down. I bet they'll be lovely! My older tulips have come out of the ground but not flowered yet.
Are you referring to black clay or red clay? I garden in black clay soil and it is hard as concrete when it is absolutely dry, no digging it for planting. Tulips need fast draining soil which clay is not so you have to add compost or garden soil to the hole with the bulb.
Then like I said, as one who gardens in Black Clay, when it is absolutely dry it is like trying to dig up concrete. If you take a hammer to chunks of it you will get smaller hard chunks. I think whoever told you to make sure it was absolutely dry might have been referring to making sure there was no water standing in the holes when you planted the bulbs. Black Clay takes longer to drain after a rain or watering than normal soil so you will have to wait until water has drained out of the soil down to the depth you plant the bulbs.
