It's first snow here in New England, and a friend of mine wants to know if she's passed the window of opportunity for planting tulip, daffodil, iris, and other bulbs. Right now it's right around freezing, and it's supposed to warm up over the next few days. Thanks! - David
Hi David Even if it snowed the bulbs should be OK as long as the ground has not frozen solid for more than 1 inch deep. I am in the north centeral of BC CA our temps this year are @ -15 /-5 C at night day temps -2 to +10 c . We just put in 300 bulbs at our place and another 2500 for a community garden. As long as the bulbs do not drown in water or become critter food they should be ok Snow is Natures way of of insulation. Regards Doug
Thanks. I figured it probably worked that way, but I'm not a gardener. I'll pass the information on to my friend. There's been no frost here, just this early snow, and today it's all melted, so the ground should be soft, and it's expected to be that way for the next few days. - David
If you can work the soil, you can plant bulbs. The idea of "too late in the season" to plant bulbs is more to do with the fact that the bulbs that you buy from the nurseries will deteriorat over time if you delay planting them. They also use the remainder of the relatively warm fall weather to send out roots. My principle is to purchase the bulbs from the nursery as soon as they get their stocks in, and plant them in as soon as possible.
