Went to my local box store and they were selling all of their garden items very cheap. I bought some iris bulbs, day lilies, and peony roots. Now that we are into the dog days of summer, when should I plant these bulbs/roots? I live in Zone 4-5. A few people say it is ok to plant my iris bulbs and peony roots and hold off on the lilies to the fall . However on the internet, a few sites say if you plant now, next spring they might not fully bloom. Is that True? If I can't plant them now, what is the best way to store them? Should i wait until late August or next March-April to plant? Thanks
I'd plant them now. I've also bought roots and bulbs very late in the season, and they're often a sorry sight. You might not get blooms on your lilies this year, but it's better to get them in the ground and let them settle in.
You should be fine planting them now. If you buy tulip, crocus or daffodil bulbs you can plant those late summer until the first frost in the fall.
You won't get blooms on the Iris or Peony this yr. It's too late in the season. If the Peony is very small, it may take till 2010 to see blooms. You never know with the daylily. I wouldn't be surprised if it blooms this yr. Make sure you plant the Peony and Iris at the proper depth, which is very shallow. Especially the peony. They can be a pain to dig up once they are established. If its a Bearded Iris, that corm should be half out of the ground.
Agree with other posts about getting them into the ground. Don't worry though -- I found a lily bulb in a pot in November -- thought I had taken them all out and planted them, so I plopped it in the ground and thought, what the heck. Well, it is one of the tallest plants in the garden and is about to bloom. So, you never know!
