On 12/29/2014 8:17 AM, Steve Peek wrote:
On Sunday, December 28, 2014 6:54:45 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
Daughter in law gave us a few forced narcissus bulbs for the holidays.
When flowers are gone can these be planted outside, Northern DE?
If so, at what point?
Crockett Victory Garden book says he just adds them to compost but wife
wants to grow outside.

I've planted them before and they do survive. They probably won't
bloom in spring though possibly in the following spring.


I have had mixed results.

Many years ago, I forced 'Soleil d'Or' in a bowl of very small pebbles.
They were great. As soon as they finished blooming, I put them in my
garden (note my climate in my signature block). They have bloomed again
every year; they are blooming right now.

Many years ago, I forced 'Paper White' in a bowl of very small pebbles.
They were great. As soon as they finished blooming, I put them in my
garden. The foliage comes up every year. Instead of flowers, however,
I get deformed flower buds that never seem to show actual flowers or
have that delightful narcissus perfume. I tried moving the bulbs, but
that did not fix the problem. I tried removing them entirely, but there
always seem to be a few bulbs that I missed.

In Frank's climate (northern Delaware), I would keep the bulbs indoors
until the danger of snow and freeze is past. They should be kept
growing in strong, indirect sunlight (perhaps a northern window). When
spring arrives and the soil can be dug, lift the bulbs from their
current container and gently shake away whatever growing medium they
had. As tall as the bulbs are, that much soil should be above them;
that is, the base of each bulb should be twice as deep as the bulb is
tall. Dig the planting hole even deeper, stir some bone meal into the
bottom of the hole, and then cover that with a little more soil so the
bulb is not in direct contact with the fertilizer. If possible,
separate the bulbs and plant them about 3-5 inches apart.

Do not remove any foliage until it yellows and dies. If the foliage is
still green after six weeks in the ground, apply a light dose of
fertilizer -- NOT MiracleGrow; a very small amount of a general lawn
food -- without herbicide -- is good.

I hope Frank has the same results as I have with 'Soleil d'Or' and not
the frustration I have with 'Paper White'. By the way, I have other
narcissus in my garden, none of which were forced to bloom indoors. I
have 'Mt. Hood', 'Spencer Tracy', 'Peeping Tom', 'February Gold'
(usually blooming in January), and 'Tete-a-Tete'. For some reason, the
common 'King Alfred' does not like me and refuses to survive.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary