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Planting fall bulbs in the spring #124372

Asked April 29, 2013, 6:41 PM EDT

Is it possible to plant daffodils and tulips in the spring, or should I wait till fall?

County Michigan

Expert Response

Lela,
If she plants the bulbs now they will not bloom this year because spring blooming bulbs require a cooling period in order to bloom.
If she just happens to have some bulbs that she did not plant last fall, then I would plant them now, because it is not a good idea to store bulbs for a prolonged period of time. If the bulbs were in storage since last fall there is no guarantee they will survive, but they stand a better chance in the ground than in storage.
If she doesn’t have bulbs on hand, it would be difficult to find a reputable source that would sell them at this time. I would not purchase any at this time of year. If she shops from a good catalogue, the bulbs will be sent in the fall at the appropriate time for planting.
I am trying to think of why she might want to plant the bulbs now. The only reason I can come up with is that she is planting a garden and thinks it would be easier to plant the bulbs at the same time as the perennials and shrubs. If this is the case I have a couple of suggestions. She can plant annuals in the places where she wants the bulbs. Then in the fall when the annuals die, she can remove them and add the bulbs. When planting a perennial garden in the spring, I have dug the holes for the bulbs while I am planting the other plants. I put the soil from the holes in 2 gallon containers. Then I set the container back in the hole. In the fall I lift the container, filled with the soil, out of the hole, place the bulbs in the hole and cover them with the soil. It can be difficult to get the container out of the hole, but otherwise this method works fairly well. She would want to be sure there are plenty of drainage holes in the containers. It is also helpful to make the hole slightly wider than the container. This makes it easier to remove the container.
If there is some other reason that she wants to plant the bulbs now, please reply back. I hope this has been helpful.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 29, 2013, 9:08 PM EDT

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