Protect Pot Planted Spring Flowering Bulbs

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PLANTING A SPRING FLING
The daffodil orders will be delivered soon and we will be planting them in beds and pots. Brent Heath of Brent and Becky's Bulbs conducted some experiments on how to maximize bulb health over the winter. Heath found that container planted bulbs need the consistently cold temperatures that they can usually get in the ground.

Keep potted bulbs cold but not frozen hard. You can use bubble wrap, recycled Styrofoam ice chests or a thick mulch of pine needles, bark chips or newspaper to keep the temperature even. In late February uncover the pots, water and expose them to full sun.

Clemson Extension has a great fact sheet about bulbs and varieties here.

Northern gardeners are advised to keep their potted bulbs in a garage or basement to prevent a killing freeze. The Master Gardeners of Frederik County PA have good advice for zone 5 readers.

Wherever you live, plant spring flowering bulbs to ensure spring flowers that will pull you out of the winter blues.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Martha, I'm going to try immersing my pots in my shredded leaf pile. I'm doing the same with my daylilies planted in pots. I'll let you know if it works well.~~Dee
October 12, 2008 at 1:10 PM
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