Summer Bulb Timing

[vrya]

Google fu is failing me! I've been all over the internet trying to figure out exactly what is meant when you are instructed to plant a summer bulb in "spring". Late spring, after the last frost date? Which here in Chicago might as well be called early summer? Or much earlier, when you start seeing crocuses and it still might snow? Somewhere in

Comments

[anodyna]

I've found Gethsemane Garden Center to be a good resource for Chicago-specific planting advice. They could probably tell you something?

[vrya]

Ha, I think I may have to consider myself lucky that place is just outside of my usual shopping range. Garden centers, just too dangerous! ;-) But thanks, I might have to check it out anyway...

[abrakadabrah]

As long as it is a hardy bulb, plant it as soon as the soil is workable. That means really soon. We have snowdrops and a few early crocuses coming up now - an hour out of NYC. Snowdrops were up last week - just in time to get buried by another snowstorm, which they survived. But crocuses came up yesterday and today.

For Ismene, this one says wait until warm weather returns to plant outside. I'd wait until April, at least, or begin it indoors mid-March.

[vrya]

The sparaxis says hardy to zone 5, which is what we are here, but since I garden up on the third floor, I usually assume z3-4 to be safe. But the worst of the winter cold is done with (I think!) so they probably are hardy enough and I think I will plant really soon. Since I garden in containers only, I have problems judging what "soil is workable" means, but I'm thinking a week or two ought to do it. My crocus (planted mid fall) are not up yet, but that may just mean they're not coming up... the chives are starting to poke up here and there.

Thanks for the Mid-march recommendation on the Ismene; Last year I waited until late April (indoors) and I think that was too late.

Thanks!

[jaynefury]

First... pretty dogwood in your icon.

Secondly, you can plant the second you can get your trowel through the ice encrusted earth. A friend of mine up here in Washington planted his bulbs in February. They still need to do a little hibernating.

[vrya]

Good to know. I think I'll have to do a little experiment, some outside now and some inside and see what works better for container gardening way up on the third floor... Thanks!