Re: When to plant fall bulbs?





Betty Moorman@ZEON
09/21/98 09:04 AM






susan.leard@pei.sympatico.ca on 09/18/98 07:35:19 PM

Please respond to perennials@mallorn.com

To:   perennials@mallorn.com
cc:    (bcc: Betty Moorman/Zeon)
Subject:  When to plant fall bulbs?




I live in zone 5 on the east coast of Canada. Earlier this week I planted
dozens of daffodils and Red Emperor tulips. This is my first experience
with
planting bulbs and thought anytime in September or October would be
appropriate. Today, I bought a bunch of species tulips, species iris,
anemones, allium, and King Arthur daffodils planning to plant tomorrow and
Monday while I am still on vacation. The lady at the last garden center I
visited informed me that I was planting much too early and all my bulbs
would die unless I waited til after a couple of frosts had sufficiently
cooled the ground.
/It is absolutely not necessary to wait that long to plant bulbs.  I am in
the Ohio Valley, in north-central Kentucky, between zones 5 and 6, and I
have planted successfully over a wide range of time, from as early as now
to New Year's Day, though I would not advise waiting quite that late.
(Circumstances simply did not allow me to get all the bulbs into the ground
any earlier that year. )  I have read that an earlier planting is really
good for bulbs because they have time to develop a better root system
before blooming time in the spring.  However, experience has taught me
there are so many variables that it doesn't pay to be too scrupulous about
following all the rules.

 All I can find in the books is to plant in the fall. They
say nothing about waiting for frost. What has been your experience? I have
sandy loam, part shade, and the night temps are about 8 to 10 degrees
Celcius this time of year. Day temps are about 15 to 20 degrees C. Has my
work this week been for nothing?
Susan Leard, zone 5
Prince Edward Island, Canada
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