Garden

[Wobin]

I was given a shallow pot with tulips, daffodils and hyacinth and would like to plant them in the ground when they are spent.  I am in southern California, Zone 9 and am wondering if I should I plant them this spring or store them until the fall when bulbs seem to be in local garden stores for planting.

Thank you for any advice you have on planting bulbs.

[ahoymate]

Google has lots of suggestions.

[PA Mom-mom]

@Wobin  I'm not familiar with zone 9, but in zone 6-7, I plant my Easter plants after they have bloomed, and they usually come up the next spring. I treat them like any other plant and make sure I water them in. They will look terrible until they die back, but they generally survive. However, as @ahoymate suggests, you could google or check with local gardening advisers.

[KG60]

@Wobin @. I live in zone 6 with hard Winters. I leave my bulbs in the ground. As long as they are planted deeply enough for our Winter weather, they weather it just fine and go dormant, then bloom beautifully in the Spring. You could even leave them in the pot they are in, and store them in the Fall/Winter in a cool, dark place, get them out in the Spring and start watering them again, voila! Beautiful blooms! Good luck! 

[gardenman]

I'd plant them this spring. You might have issues with critters digging up and eating some of the bulbs, but that would happen whenever you plant them.

[Kachina624]

@Wobin.  There should be plenty of info online about growing bulbs.  I'm betting if you live in Zone 9, if you plant them in the ground, you'll never see them again.  Most seem to need more cold to trigger blooming in the spring.

[GinaV24]

@Wobin I'm with @Kachina624  if you plant them in the ground in your zone, they

probably won't bloom again.  

According to what I've read (and you can find all the info on the internet), you'd have to refrigerate your bulbs and then plant them. I found info on adrbulbsdotcom

Our winter this year (I live in eastern Pa) must have made the spring bulbs very happy.  We have a bumper crop of daffodils.

[barrel racer]

I got a gift of tulips in a pot.  I replanted in the ground & this is their 3rd year & they are about 4" tall already in the snow!

[gardenman]

Yes, bulbs need an extended cold period to rest, but I checked the weather data for zone 9 and it showed lows of 20-30 degrees which should be adequate to trigger dormancy. It may not stay cold enough for long enough, but it does get cold enough, at least briefly, to trigger dormancy. The only way you'll know if it'll be good enough is to try it and see. You've got the bulbs already, so why not try it? It's either plant them and hope for the best, or throw them away and give up. I'm more inclined to plant them and hope for the best.

[Wobin]

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@gardenman wrote:

Yes, bulbs need an extended cold period to rest, but I checked the weather data for zone 9 and it showed lows of 20-30 degrees which should be adequate to trigger dormancy. It may not stay cold enough for long enough, but it does get cold enough, at least briefly, to trigger dormancy. The only way you'll know if it'll be good enough is to try it and see. You've got the bulbs already, so why not try it? It's either plant them and hope for the best, or throw them away and give up. I'm more inclined to plant them and hope for the best.

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Thank you, I will plant them soon.  It was 39 overnight here last night and hailed before we went to bed so perhaps it will be cold enough.  I had daffodils at our last house  but bought those in the fall and planted at that time.