When to Plant Bulbs - When to Plant Tulip, Hyacinth, Daffodil Bulbs

Publish date: 2024-06-04

While fall is considered the best time to plant your bulbs to ensure beautiful blooms come spring, there's no reasons to fret if you fell behind on your gardening chores—you can still get those future flowers in the ground.

If you want to garden like the pros, you should plant your bulbs in the fall, about six weeks before your area's first hard freeze, according to HGTV.com. Another good way to determine the ideal time for bulb-planting is to monitor your patio thermometer. When the temperature drops around 40 to 50 degrees at night, it's time to get those daffodils and tulips in the ground.

But if you missed the window, you can still plant your bulbs in the winter and early spring, so long as you can dig into the ground, according to Southern Living. In some areas of the country, there might be too much snow and frozen ground to be able to plant bulbs, but as long as you can dig in with a shovel, that means it's not too late.

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Late planters should give their flowers the best chance for survival by nestling bulbs about six inches deep in the soil. If breaking through some of the frozen dirt is too difficult, you can opt to not dig and simply cover your bulbs with garden soil. You'll want to cover them with plenty of dirt, though—about three times the size of the bulb.

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And if the frozen ground just won't budge, then it's time to get your bulbs into plastic containers. While terra cotta pots can shatter as water freezes, plastic ones will stretch to accommodate soil changes and root growth.

To ensure they bloom in the spring, you'll want to store these pots in an area that remains under 48 degrees (meaning your house probably isn't the best area). Keep 'em in a chilly spot and away from harsh sunlight—and that's it. Mother Nature will take care of the rest!

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When to Plant Bulbs - When to Plant Tulip, Hyacinth, Daffodil Bulbs

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