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Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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Posted by aeor nsw (My Page) on Thu, Jun 8, 06 at 21:36
Hi
Any chance that I could still plant some in a pot, in Sydney? (upper north) It's pretty cold where I am.
As you can tell I haven't done it before.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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- Posted by deejaus Melb.Vic. Australia (My Page) on
Fri, Jun 9, 06 at 0:42
| You have possibly left your run a bit late for a lot of them but you could still plant Nerines, Gladioli, Liliums and Lily-of-the-valley. Cheers,
Dee. |
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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K-mart and Big W persist in selling bulbs way past their time. If you see them on special and they are still fairly firm, go for it if the price is good. Or you may have some you bought earlier and haven't had time to put in.
Daffodils planted late will flower late and give you a lovely show in Nov or even up to Christmas. Dutch iris will do the same. That is, so long as there is a chill factor. Even earlier planted ones won't bloom well in hot areas.
I have tulips and daffs still waiting to be planted. I have planted Sternbergia and had it flower in 4 days from planting. Bulbs are amazingly forgiving of neglect.
Give them a feed of Superphosphate and some pottash to get their roots growing well.
Cheers, Jan |
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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Thanks for the info Dee and Jan. I'm going to see what I can get and give some a try. I haven't bought any, but did intend to, and have had a crazy few months. I'll see what I can do, your help is very much appreciated and needed!
thanks
Andrea |
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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| I've forgotten all sorts of bulbs over the years. One year it was 1000 ranunculi which I didn't get in until July. They flowered late, all through November, and looked great. Plant whatever you buy in either bulb planting mix or good potting soil with a sprinkling of bulb food or blood and bone, then water in. I'm sure they'll be fine. |
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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- Posted by deejaus Melb.Vic. Australia (My Page) on
Sat, Jun 10, 06 at 2:46
| Yes Aeor, I have to agree with Wattleblossom and Sparaxis. What I told you is 'by the book'. Rules are made to be broken (aren't they? LOL). At the very worst, if you plant them now and they don't flower this year, you'll still have them for next year. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so go for it! Cheers,
Dee. |
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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One of the nicest hippeastrum I bought, I rescued from K-Mart, it had been hanging around so long a flower spike was actually pushing through the side of the plastic bag. I shamed the nursery-lady there into marking it down to 50 cents.
I agree with Sparaxis and add to the big chain's faults (I include Bunnings here) the sin of selling some cold climate bulbs in inappropriate areas where they really have little chance of surviving to second season.
But I agree with the above, nothing ventured. If you have unsown bulbs, they only have one shot. If you are buying them, make sure they are cheap enough. |
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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Last year i bought 100 sprekelia bulbs for a very reasonable price on e-bay. They were sent to me in the sort of box that you buy 5X A4 reams of paper. Therre werre well over 100, and my dilemma was "where to plant them". I was at that stage filling raised planter beds, and had put in an orange and lemon tree and did not plan to underplant them. I set the box aside and forgot about it. A couple of months later i discovered my error, and opened the box. EVERY bulb had a pale pink flower stalk and bud. Well the space was there so in they went under the baby citrus trees, and behind the Iris japonica variegata. 4 days later the started flowering, bright red, the stalks greened up and leaves started to show. The display of so many bright red blooms behind the vareigated foliage of the iris was wonderful to see and the bulbs haven't looked back.
Remember that anything you buy in the way of daffodils or dutch irises will ALREADY have a flower in the bulb, just waiting to show itself. No problem about bloom this year. They will still bloom if you throw them on the lawn. NEXT year they may not do so well as they are not currently taking in nutrient to plump out the bulbs. I must say though, from another experience of jonquils in a pot blooming their heads off with hardly any soil for 3 Springs, I think these things live on air and water.
Cheers, Jan |
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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- Posted by aeor nsw (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 12, 06 at 4:06
Ok
I now have a half wine barrel full of daffodils and a pot full of tulips. Lets see how it goes. Wow have I learnt a lot about bulbs in two days. Thanks to all, I love hearing about the forgotten bulbs.
Not only did I plant numerous bulbs today, I managed to transplant 9 small shrubs and plant out 12 other small shrubs. ( I did say I was waaaaaay behind) I did all of this today between the hours of 10 am and 4.30, I also managed to do 4 loads of washing, cook a roast (no I'm not kidding), and feed my 3 year old. Oh and take photos of a couch which we want to sell on ebay. I think I am superwoman!
cheers and warm thanks for the bulb stories.
A |
RE: Is it too late to plant bulbs?
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| Oh Aeor, you ARE superwoman, and an inspiration to us all. Well done! I hope your 3 year old is taking notes :-) |
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