John McGaw wrote:
zxcvbob wrote:

Madgardener's post is a good lead-in to my question. :-)

I bought a huge bag of fancyish tulip bulbs on clearance in late
November because the weather had been warmer than usual and the ground
was still soft. Well, the very night that I bought them the
temperature plunged and the ground froze. The bulbs are still in the
bag in my basement. The weather has been unseasonably warm the whole
month of January, but still below freezing.

Is it worth refrigerating the bulbs and then planting them at the
first thaw in spring? Or should I plant them now in a huge pot and
sit it out in the garage (where it will take a *long* time to freeze
if the weather holds.) Or should I throw them away? I only paid a
couple of dollars for 70 bulbs, but I hate to throw *anything* out.
(you should see my basement)

Thanks,
Bob


I would definitely plant them outside right now being sure to maintain
the full required depth and then adding a few inches of mulch on top. I
routinely plant bulbs (zone 6-ish) between Christmas and New Years after
having bought what I could find at the last "everything must go"
clearance sales. My success rate has been very good so far and tulip
bulbs, while not as bulletproof as daffodils, are still mighty tough.



I don't have a big jackhammer with a wide chisel point. (ground is
probably frozen for at least a meter.)

Bob, zone 4