On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 19:53:31 -0600, "pm" opined:

Hello folks,

I just noticed that 3 of my Darwin Hybrid Tulips are about to bloom, and
rest of the bunch also look like will be blooming soon. Is it too early for
New Orleans south shore near the lake? I am almost to the point of giving
up that I must have done something wrong that the bulbs are coming up too
early and will not really bloom. BTW, these were from Brent and Becky's.
Dimensionwise, I would say they are about 6"-8" tall, and the flower spike
is just as tall as the opening leaves, almost hidden within the large
leaves.

Something similar with my Sam's Club purchase daffodils as well. Almost
similar heightwise as the tulips, and a bunch of them have flower stalks
already out. In fact, the most eager one's flower head is already kind of
drooping, may be because the stalk has not matured yet fully and the flower
is too heavy for it? I am talking in entirely unscientific terms, so please
forgive my ignorance.

Any idea what's going on? Am I rightly alarmed or is this normal? I put
the bulbs in refrigerator beginning of 10/03, and planted them in the ground
beginning of 12/03. Of course that we are going to get near freezing temps
is worrying me too.

Thanks.

Priyo.


It's not something you did wrong. The south has had an abnormally warm winter.
Most days have been in the high 60s through 70s, with days like two days ago in
the 80 degree range. What we get in Austin, you get a few days later...for the
most part.

There is nothing you can do about tulips blooming too early. For this reason,
I don't plant tulips unless I'm fully ready to lose them to a hard frost after
they emerge during our very warm days and nights in winter.

I do use many different daffodils.

You can cover them if a hard freeze is on the way. Do not use plastic. Use a
sheet and you can cover the sheet with plastic, but don't cover the foliage with
plastic directly. Make sure you remove the cover during the day or the
overheating can cook the foliage.

That's about all you can do.