Is It Too Late?
I have a huge paper grocery bag full of bulbs that I never managed to plant this past fall. I intended to plant them–had visions of many-hued bearded irises, daffodils, and pink-and-yellow, purple, and even black tulips coming up in my yard this spring. A flower bulb is a little miracle housed in tiny, nondescript package.
This year I disregarded all the cheap bulbs for sale (crocuses, for example) because they take precious time to plant and they bloom only for about two days in February–long before I’m ready to be outside to enjoy them. I went for the big show-stoppers this year. Alas, the flowers aren’t going to get our pictures into Better Homes and Gardens magazine if I never set them in the ground!
Is it too late to plant them now? The ground is very cold, but also very soggy.
Oh, who am I kidding? With project deadlines, rain, and Lucas out of school for the holidays, I’ll be really lucky if I manage to get the ornaments down and packed away, and the tree carcass out into the street for the Boy Scouts to recycle before we leave on our trip. (Did I mention I’m very excited about our trip?)
I may have to be satisfied with the red tulips from last year. I hope they come up again. Everybody needs little miracles.
December 30, 2005 at 9:57 pm
It’s probably not the best time to plant them. You might try in late January, if there’s been a drier spell. It is possible to plant very early and get still a few blooms.
December 30, 2005 at 10:08 pm
The only thing I’ve ever heard about putting bulbs in now is that you risk them rotting if a warm spell should hit while the rains are still here. I seem to remember putting some in at this time of year and not getting any blooms the first year, and only a few blooms the following. I guess it depends on whether or not you feel like the gamble? January sounds like a reasonable bet to me.
And I promise not to tell Martha you didn’t plant in October.