Monday, October 15, 2007

Unseasonable

These grape hyacinths must think it's spring. After I put these bulbs in a couple weeks ago, our weather didn't stay mild -- it got warmer. And now these are pushing up foliage. That's never happened to me before. In the future, I'll avoid planting bulbs out front until late October. And maybe I should bury them a bit deeper, too.

One of the things I've learned is that I can get two different bloom times from the same bulb species, depending on where they are planted. The beds in front, with full southern exposure, warm up several weeks earlier than the beds in the backyard.

3 comments:

Laurie and Chris said...

I haven't dared plant any of my bulbs yet. Maybe I should:)

kris said...

I hope these come back next spring! I haven't planted my bulbs yet - now I'm hoping it gets DRY enough to do it!

I still haven't had a chance to look for Wally's Gardens - but I'll let you know when I find them!!

Peter Hoh said...

With 2 inches of rain in the forecast for later this week, I worry that the ground won't dry out for me to put the rest of my bulbs in. I may have to put my remaining bulbs in containters. I have a large tub of dirt that I'm keeping covered just in case I need to use it.

Of course I won't use straight dirt in my bulb containers. I'll mix it up with peat moss and compost first.

I have never intentionally overwintered plants in containers. I suspect the key is to make sure that the containers have a decent amount of moisture in them before they freeze. And once they freeze, they should be covered in a pile of leaves or straw so they don't thaw and refreeze.