August
Purchase your bulbs from local garden centers, if you haven't placed
earlier mail orders. Plant only firm healthy bulbs. See list of Minnesota
recommended varieties. Keep a list of your varieties and where
you purchased them.
Prepare beds for new plantings.
Begin planting, but wait for cooler soil temperatures before watering
bulbs. Bulbs should be planted 6" deep, a hands-breath apart in
circular clumps for best garden effect. Miniature bulbs can be planted
in plastic berry baskets 4" deep. They can be planted between
hostas or daylilies and under deciduous trees because in early spring
they will get the full sun they need to thrive.
If you are planting a mass of bulbs for a naturalized look, single
varieties in separate waves look best.
September
Continue planting, watering as you go.
Water 1/2" to 1" per week, if no rains.
Side dress existing bulb beds with high potash fertilizer, if desired,
sold as muriate of potash.
October
Complete planting by October 15th, watering as you go.
Continue your watering schedule throughout the month; roots have to
grow for six weeks to allow the bulb to “harden off” for
winter.
November
Continue your watering schedule until the ground freezes
Leftover bulbs make great indoor pots during the winter; if you plant
late, you have a very high risk of losing your bulbs to freezing.
See: The
Science of Winter Hardiness and Indoor
Pots.
December
Water if ground has not frozen.
If ground has frozen, mulch all bulb beds with pine needles (best),
chopped oak leaves (next best). Unchopped leaves can mat and prevent
daffodil leaves from getting through next spring.
January
Stay warm inside.
Check your indoor pots for dryness. Most varieties require 12 weeks
of cold—not freezing—for flowers to mature. Tazettas
(“paperwhites,” Division 8) do not require cold-put them
into pots, water and enjoy bloom in 3-6 weeks.
February
Stay warm inside. Make sure mulch is still on outdoor beds. If snow cover is sparse, winter winds can remove your mulch. Christmas tree branches can help keep mulch in place.
March
As weather starts to warm, carefully remove mulch from beds. If temperatures dip to single digits, replace mulch. You should see leaves emerging throughout your beds.
April
Continue to remove mulch.
Water if Spring is dry or snow cover was skimpy.
Fertilize with Muriate of Potash fertilizer, if desired.
First blooms usually appear in early April, but weather can be very
variable.
May
Peak bloom season is usually around Mother's Day. Cut some of your
flowers and bring them to our annual Daffodil Show. See Calendar
of Events for date and location.
Sanitize cutting tools with bleach between cuts.
Continue watering, if spring rains are sparse.
Flower heads can be removed (“dead-heading”), if desired,
but leave flower stems intact to photosynthesize food for the bulb.
Cutting off the faded flower heads is not necessary and risks transmitting
viruses without sanitation.
Look for disfigured leaves with yellow streaking the full vertical
length of the leaf. These bulbs may be infected with virus and should
be destroyed immediately—they will gradually infect the rest
of your bulbs. This is different from extreme cold weather which can
cause leaf tips to brown horizontally and may cause greening on petals
of certain varieties.
June
Late blooming varieties usually carry into June unless temperatures
soar.
Do not remove, tie up or braid leaves or stems until they turn brown
on the tips. The earliest you can remove leaves or mow a naturalized
area is six weeks after bloom.
Mark clumps you intend to dig up this season with plastic spoons or
golf tees. Leaves disappear quickly and it’s easy to slice through
bulbs with your shovel.
Place your mail orders for new bulbs early. Many suppliers offer early
order discounts. See Sources.
July
Dig bulb clumps you need to move to another location or divide. A
clump does not need to be divided unless the number of flowers has
decreased and you have only a crowded bunch of leaves each spring.
For most varieties, this is 5-7 years. Your golf tees or spoons will
guide you to avoid cutting through bulbs. Dig deeply with a straight-edged
spade. Lift the entire clump out and carefully separate the bulbs.
Do not pull bulbs apart with any force! Cut off leaves. Either replant
immediately (see August, above) or store bulbs until
September in a cool, well-ventilated dark area. Bulbs must dry before
you can rub off roots and dead outer layers, approximately six weeks.
Check bulbs for softness or rot during drying. Keep variety labels
with bulbs; they all look alike as bulbs!
Share extra bulbs with friends and family.
