When to plant bulbs for NC Mountains -- Blue Ridge ????

[James Nipper]

We have a cabin in the NC Blue Ridge Mtns. As I recall, the time to plant flower bulbs is in Oct.

Unfortunately, our current schedule (kids in school) does not allow us to be there in Oct. We are there as late as early August. We are also there in Dec / March/ late May, and late Jul/early August.

I would like to plant some nice bulbs (like Daffodils, etc) but I don't know when I could do it.

Thanks for any tips...

Remember......... NC mountains........... 4200 feet above sea level.

--James--

[madgardener]

You can do it in December. Order or purchase your bulbs around August thru September, store them in your vegetable drawer in your fridge (no fruit, the fruit emits a gas that kills the flower bud in the bulb) and come December, take your bulbs with you to your cabin, with a good planter. If you're going to plant a LOT of bulbs, I'd say invest in an auger that fits on a drill and go to town! A little pinch of time release bulb food into the holes and you're set for spring! I've planted bulbs as late as New Year's Day and had them bloom for me just fine, the second year they settled themselves and came up and bloomed better. Don't forget to fertilize in the fall of the next year.....

that won't make a difference in the North Carolina mountains. Now the ROCKIES.............that's a different story altogether

madgardener up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler overlooking English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee zone 7, Sunset zone 36

[fran]

If you can get a spade in the ground in Dec, you can plant the bulbs.

[James Nipper]

Thank you very much for these replies, and I will look for more comments if anyone has any.

Looks like Dec may be the trick for me.... sometimes it is mild, and I can get a spade or auger in the ground......... other times it is frozen. But it least gives me a "window" to consider.

Thanks again !!!

--James---