Blooming before winter

by Dale Hurley
(Hartly, DE USA)

My paperwhites that I planted in Delaware in late Oct. have begun blooming, and the daffodils are up about a ft. already! Winter is just coming. Will these early risers and bloomers be hurt now from winter, or will they flower again in the spring?

Doug says that if the flower buds are growing and then freeze solid, there's a good chance they won't open. If they don't start growing, then you should be fine. But this is pretty advanced and I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for next spring's blooms if you plan on having some 5F weather this winter.

And nope, there's nothing you can do - call it a win for Mother Nature and a loss for you. Sorry.