As we hurtle from autumn into winter, lots of us will be guiltily looking at the bulbs left unplanted by the back door. Traditionally, spring flowering bulbs would be planted throughout autumn: daffodils and hyacinths in September, tulips by the end of November or even December.
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How late can you plant bulbs?
Later planting for tulips is often advised to avoid tulip fire, a disease which causes brown holes in leaves and distorted growth. But later planting can risk trying to plant when ground is frozen or very wet, which can affect the success of growth the following year.
Read our tips on when to plant bulbs.
We spoke to gardeners, designers and bulb experts and surveyed our readers to see how late people have planted their bulbs and still had successful displays in the spring.
Garden designer Annie Guilfoyle has really pushed the boundaries when it comes to bulb planting timetables. She said:
"Well garden designers are possibly at their worst in their own gardens! That is not because we just don’t care but we are all so busy in our client’s gardens. I am no exception at all…. last year I planted my tulips (all bought from Great Dixter) the latest I have ever planted them, which was the 5th of February (my previous record was Christmas). I called it 'an experiment' of course as I wasn’t going to own up to being so disorganised and behind with my garden! Then low and behold they all flowered on time in May! So, it just goes to show… and no tulip fire, which seems to have been a problem for so many others!"
Last year I planted my tulips the latest I have ever planted them, which was the 5th of February (my previous record was Christmas)!
We also got in touch with J Parkers to see how late they think you can go when it comes to planting spring-flowering bulbs. This is what their experts said:
"Many gardeners may think that you need to get all your spring-flowering bulbs in the ground by October, but this isn't the case! If you haven't finished planting your tulips or daffodils yet, don't worry.
If you missed planting your bulbs during autumn/early winter and you've got a pack of tulips or daffodils laying around in January or February, go ahead and plant them. Planting bulbs like tulips late can also stop them from developing tulip fire, a fungal disease that causes withered and spotted leaves or petals. Cold temperatures lower your chances of this blight, as warm or damp conditions help it spread."
J Parkers also provided some top tips for winter bulb planting:
- Clear away snow and loosen soil, if possible.
- If the ground is totally frozen, scatter fertilizer sparingly and over a larger range than normal.
- Place bulbs on top of the soil. Do not press them in, as this will damage the bulb base, where roots form.
- Cover with 2-4 inches of aged mulch or finished compost (go for the thicker layer if planting during the height of winter).
- Renew mulch covering often with a fresh 2 inch layer.
However, it is still ideal to plant bulbs at the recommended times for top success and lower risk of losses. Matthew Pottage, curator of RHS Garden Wisley, told us when looking at planting bulbs late in the season "I find the percentage of useable bulbs declines rapidly as they fall victim to a powdery blue mould, so I wouldn't recommend this practice as being ideal."
How late have our readers planted their bulbs?
We took to social media to see how late our readers have pushed their bulb planting and still had successful displays in spring.
How late can you plant daffodil bulbs?
On X (formerly Twitter), 39 per cent of respondents said that they had planted daffodil bulbs as late as January and still had them flower in the spring. 30 per cent had planted daffs in December that had flowered, 22 per cent had in November and 9 per cent said that October was the latest they had ever pushed it with their daffodil bulbs.
On Instagram, the majority of respondents hadn't planted their daffodils later than December, with 34 per cent saying that this was the maximum they'd pushed it and still had flowering displays in spring. 22 per cent still said they'd waited as late as January though and 28 per cent said they'd never planted them later than November. The vast majority though had planted them later than October and still had flowers, with only 15 per cent saying that this was the latest they had waited.
How late can you plant tulip bulbs?
When it came to planting tulip bulbs, on X 32 per cent of respondents had planted them in January and had successful displays. Eight per cent had even waited until February and been rewarded with blooms. 28 per cent of people hadn't pushed it past December though, and 32 per cent had stuck to the traditional November timings for planting their tulips.
On Instagram, 19 per cent of respondents had planted their bulbs in February, and 24 per cent said they had gone as late an January and still had flowers in spring. Thirty one per cent however, hadn't pushed it past December and 26 per cent had stuck with November for planting their tulip bulbs.
So, if you still have a packet of bulbs lying around in the new year, it may not be the ideal time to plant them, but many would recommend throwing caution to the wind and planting them to see what happens!
