I thought my bulb planting was over for the year, but in a meeting just before Christmas, a new client expressed an interest in daffodils for spring. I’ve never planted daffodils this late before, so I gave bulb supplier Peter Nyssen a call early in January to see: One, if it was still ok to plant and two, if they had any bulbs left. Regarding the former, they said there’s just about time if you do it STRAIGHT AWAY (but the bulbs would flower later than usual) and yes, they had some bulbs left.
So I’ve planted some Jonquils, carefully, so as not to knock any sprouting shoots off and some Narcissi ‘Actaea’ and ‘Rijnvelds Early Sensation’ (thankfully not so sprouting). As I wondered how behind they might be, I had a very timely conversation with flower farmer friend Lizzie about Vernalisation (yes indeed). She’d been speaking to a daffodil grower who noticed that due to the lack of cold weather, his bulbs were a few weeks behind in flowering. Strange that, but many plants need a cold period to kick-start or accelerate flower production. Having said that, I’ve also noticed that some daffodils in neighbours’ gardens have popped up already, complete with flower heads, which annoyingly doesn’t quite fit in with the Vernalisation theory during this very mild (so far) winter. The more I know, the less I know!
Meanwhile, another friend confided in me that she’s often planted daffodil bulbs in February and they’ve always come up a couple of months later. Very reassuring, and I’m looking forward to finding out when these joyous bulbs will eventually bloom.
p.s. I’ll also be planting Allium bulbs tomorrow.
Success! These Rijnvelds Early Sensation daffs came up wonderfully in March. Normally flowering in February, they’re definitely on my list for an early splash of colour for next spring.
Out of my shed 
I love your insightful and often experimental posts!
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Very kind Rebecca!
I had good intentions of planting some bulbs but I didn’t get round to it! There’s always planting in the autumn for this time next year 🙂 Good effort for getting them in! 🙂
Thanks Lottie. It took a couple of hard days planting, but happy to do this when such gorgeous rewards are just a couple/few (?) months away!
I’m sure, being disorganised about this kind of thing, that I have bunged bulbs in this late before, when they were already sprouting, and they flowered fine. I’m not sure if there was any sign of them the following year, though, but perhaps you wouldn’t expect it if they were just left?
Hi Nicolette, should come back in following years too…
Breaking the rules by being late with planting and then it works is one of lives lovely Wahey moments.:)
Hi Julie, that’s the theory. Fingers crossed…
Look forward to seeing the results – I was cold and tired in December so took the “mass grave” approach with a bucket full of last year’s tulips. I dug a big shallow hole and chucked them in! I’m hopefully watching the spot.
Hi Sally, did a bit of ‘mass grave’ planting too (mixed with some smaller groupings), otherwise wouldn’t have got them all in! Hope yours are suitable impressive when they show!
Yes, I have some bulbs left which I will have to plant soon!
Good luck Operacat! Might even have a bit of let-up on the rain today.
Never fails but around this time of year I find a bag of bulbs I’d completely forgotten about.
Hi Helen, does seem like a bit of an inevitability. Just spotted some garlic bulbs. GRrr….
I love confessions of this nature and with those healthy little green shoots visible they’ll surely do fine.
Here’s Hoping Sue….Now onto bare-rooted roses before they dry out. Never a dull moment!
So reassured to read this – I have some bulbs including Alliums that I was planning to plant this weekend. They were planned for the Autumn but seem to have got a little delayed! Glad it sounds as if it’s okay to be tardy!
Hi Andrea, good luck with your tardy planting too! Will be very interested to hear when yours come up.
I was very interested about the lack of cold weather delaying flowering of bulbs. Our snowdrops are late
Hi Susan, that’s interesting. I seem to remember snowdrops react more to light levels rater than temperature, hence shooting up even when the ground is covered in snow. Possibly a mixture of the two? More research needed there I think!
will be interested to hear/see how this goes…reckon it’s good to push your luck sometimes in the garden
Hi Fern, yes totally agree. Always good to experiment. Bulbs were all nice and firm still, so looking forward to seeing when they make an appearance….
No problem, done that before as well, planting even after the snow melted. And they flowered and still do every year.
Hi Mrs. Greenfingers-good to know. Thanks!
Happily I have learnt that you can generally get away with a lot with bulbs, I’ve certainly planted daffs in January before, though this year it was just the tulips in pots that I was late getting in, because I had to faff about reconstituting coir-based compost to plant them. It may be cheaper to deliver because it is so compressed and light, but what would have been a quick 10 minute job took hours because the soaking took so long! As for them flowering later, it will be just like last year was, though then it was because of the cold 😉
PS I spotted a crocus up and flowering today. Crazy.
Hi Janet, now need to pop out and check on the Crocuses. Last year they seems to pop up overnight!
That coir-based compost does seem to add another time-consuming element to bulb planting. Think I may have flagged at all the effort too!
I’ve planted bulbs as late as January too and they have been ok Naomi. However it’s been more traumatic for my fingers as I’ve risked frostbite to get them in. I’ve been wondering about my autumn planted garlic and whether there has been a sufficiently cold spell to get them off to a good start. Mind you there could well be a sting in the tail yet weather wise.
Hi Anna, Luckily all this rain has really softened the soil which has made planting these late bulbs an absolute joy (compared to other harder grounds which I planted in a couple of months ago!). Good point re your garlic. Still have some that I haven’t planted so my attempt to get this in rather tardily too.
Still hoping for a bout of cold weather to kill off some pests for the year to come (and for a good excuse to start reading my pile of gardening books). N x