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Can you plant tulip bulbs in the Spring?
Over the last few years I have planted spring bulbs in the autumn in the borders and around the trees in my garden, but it’s getting to the point where I don’t know where they are any more, so when I come to plant some more in the autumn I usually chop through the bulbs already in the ground!
So my question is this, can I buy bulbs in the autumn and plant them in the spring around the already flowering tulips and daffs, and will they grow the following year?
Thanks.
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One thought would be to take photos of the beds throughout the year - I have tried to do that this summer to rearrange a couple of borders when the plants become dormant (some plants that are too tall are at the front with some shorter plants at the back!).
Appreciate that doesn't answer your question (sure someone else will be along soon!) but might help with the issue!
I'd have thought most spring bulbs will have already started sprouting by the spring whether they are planted or not so it should work OK - I seem to recall there were stands on the market selling off bags of daffs that had started sprouting (they would probably still flower that year if planted). Bigger risk might be damaging the plants you already have in the ground if you were trying to plant more close by?
You can plant tulips quite late, but I wouldn't leave it until spring. The bulbs are likely to deteriorate. Other spring bulbs need to be planted Sept/Oct really.
What I'd do is to plant the bulbs in pots now, and then when the others are up you could sink the pots into the ground
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hi Robert - if you buy them soon and pot them up, you can slot them in around the ones you already have in the ground - once they come through - and then when they've all died back you know where they can go and can put them in. Failing that, carefully mark all the bulbs you have with a plastic label or a small cane as they go over so that you can see where new bulbs can fit in the following autumn and plant directly then. Remember that your existing bulbs will clump up over time, especially crocus, snowdrops and daffs, so make sure you're not overloading the area too much.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Snap Dove!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...