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Planting bulbs in April

I was too busy/too lazy to get my bulbs, mostly Dutch iris in the ground. If I plant them now will they at least bloom next year or just rot in the ground? The bulbs appear in good shape, but did not get the chill time. Thanks for you expertise!


Doug says - good questions. The real answer is that if you don't plant them, they'll definitely die.

If you do plant them, they might still be alive and will grow. If they grow, they might bloom or they might bloom the following spring.

There's no one size answer fits all here unfortunately. Way too many variables based on how you stored them, the size of the bulb etc.

As long as they are hard and not at all soft, they "might" be alive.

But what is clearly true is that if you don't plant them, they'll never bloom. :-)

Me? I'd plant them if they bulbs were still hard.

Comments for
Planting bulbs in April

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Apr 03, 2008
Better Late Than Never
by: Anonymous

Spring comes and you still have some bulbs you didn't plant last fall. What to do? This question comes at me a lot.
'Go ahead and plant them' is the best answer, but there is an alternative.
Plant them in containers!
That way you can move them to cool or warm places as needed, and increase their chances of survival for next year.

Apr 03, 2008
Plant 'em!
by: Kylee B.

Last year, at the end of the season, I bought tulip bulbs from Walmart when they had them on sale for half price. They still had remnants of the bloom, so I could see what color they were, but that was about it. I planted them right away and the foliage died down just like my other tulips and I actually forgot that I'd planted them...

...until right now. They're coming up beautifully and while it's still too early to tell if they'll bloom, I'm pretty sure they will. I'm going to do the same thing this year when they are looking ragged in the store and they go on sale.

Mar 29, 2008
Planting bulbs in April
by: Anonymous

You are great! I didn't expect an answer this fast. Thank you!

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