Daffodils - yes
Tulips - usually discarded (they tend to separate into 4 baby tulips)
miniature Iris - usually able to put into garden

Today was great weather nearly 50 and I still have 60 Tulips to plant (then I will be done. Maybe ) but I HAD to get outdoor lights up! And COLD weather is coming big time. By Thurs morning 8 degrees.

Oh well, won't be the first time I had to use a sledge hammer to pound holes in frozen soil.

definitely a way I haven't tried David.

Fall 1988 or so. My wife and I bought about 2,000 tulips and daffodils from van Engelen. My travel schedule got in the way of getting bulbs in and we got WAY behind. Then we went into a deep freeze. The ground was frozen SOLID. And we still had > 1,000 to plant. Late Nov.

So I got a metal rod and while held by DW I pounded with the sledge. Quite time consuming. But the bulbs did just fine. The last bulbs were planted the week before Christmas.

I generally would not advise doing it that way!

I have heard of people planting sweet peas using a drill to make holes in frozen ground, but sledge hammer seems a bit much? We do what we have to do!
I just piled the last bulbs in a trench and covered them with chunks of frozen triple mix.

Gardeners become extremely creative when they have to

Edited: You would think I could read better without my reading glasses on!!

Legalily said:Gardeners become extremely creative when they have to

But only FOR and DURING gardening. Beyond that out brains go "Nope, haven't got a clue"

I was checking my emails the other day and came across one from van Engelen, checked it out, ended up buying 6 amaryllis, several multiple sets of lilies, and some Allium kataviense . - like 25 of them...I know where the former bulbs go but not sure what to do with the alliums (so cheap couldn't pass up). Some I'll try to force as I've read that's possible; the remainder will be waiting for the next warm spell to get stuck into the ground.

The 2nd set of forcing bulbs (Brent and Becky's half price sale) moved to under the stairwell to begin their genesis; this totals out at 33 forcer bulb pots and a hyancith in water; add the new lily pots (3) and save 5 alliums to force, which gives 42 to be blooming before spring gets here.

What to do with the Aliums? Plant them HTH

HTH ?

Happy to Help

thanks

I picked up afew ,about 50 or so discounted bulbs at Lowes and Bachman's. I am planning on forcing them this winter. I got a few Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.

You're not the only ones, J and Gary. I went to pick up a bag of potting soil at my local nursery and they have some nice daffs. They were half off and I bought a few. I potted some and I have some more to plant. Once done, I will move them to the unheated garage. Fingers crossed they will make it for spring. I have here Hawera, WP Milner, Winter Waltz, Precocious, Minnow, Vanilla Peach, Blazing Starlet, British Gamble, Lemon Beauty and Tristar. Some are from B & B's sale that I haven't planted yet.

I was at Lowe's yesterday and somehow managed to not buy any more bulbs, even at 1/2 off! I'm not sure, but I think it may be because I still have 90 hyacinth sitting here waiting to go in to something other than a cardboard box!

Only 4 more lilies but none of them come until spring.

I still have my 60 Tulips to plant.... .... and the soil is FROZEN SOLID.
But I did finish getting my outdoor lights up.

Better than nothing

Legalily said:Since I live in a Dutch community that has an annual tulip festival, and I'm not Dutch, I plant daffodils and alliums and no tulips I'm sure all of your bulbs are gorgeous in spring

I went to a gorgeous little town in Iowa that had a wind mill and a tulip festival . I was there after the festival so the town was quite but I had a great time exploring. I think it was Pella but I'm not sure since it was a long time ago. Am I right?