What to do with bulbs.

Deer

In my enthusiasm to get my garden started I'm after buying loads and loads of bulbs. I thought the site landscapers would be here by now rotavate but the weather is shocking and they told me today it could be another four weeks before they sort out the soil and put the grass down. This means I can't put the bulbs down as planned.

Will they be okay still in their bags or do I need to get them in soil?

And if they need to get into soil do I keep them indoors?

I have about 300 to 350 bulbs so what would be a good option to plant them in the interim if necessary?

They are all perennial.

Damn weather!

Hoof Hearted2

Deer wrote: »

In my enthusiasm to get my garden started I'm after buying loads and loads of bulbs. I thought the site landscapers would be here by now rotavate but the weather is shocking and they told me today it could be another four weeks before they sort out the soil and put the grass down. This means I can't put the bulbs down as planned.

Will they be okay still in their bags or do I need to get them in soil?

And if they need to get into soil do I keep them indoors?

I have about 300 to 350 bulbs so what would be a good option to plant them in the interim if necessary?

They are all perennial.

Damn weather!

If your landscaper can't answer those questions for you, then it's probably time to get a new landscaper.

Seve OB

get a rotovator yourself or get a new landscaper

they must have a more important job for the next 4 weeks

Deer

The landscaper is the site landscaper. They have a lot of other houses to do on site. I'm not going to pay for another landscaper when this was part of the price of the house plus I want to use the money for plants. I need a lot of them.

Deer

Just had a look at rotavator online. Not a hope I could do that myself with my back problems. Took me two hours to dig a hole for a tree the ground was so water logged and hard. In the end I was on my hands and knees with a hand shovel scraping away instead if shoveling because there were so many stones. So unfortunately rotavator hire is not an option

Marhay70

Keep them dry and cool, if they have started to sprout plant them in boxes of peat. I have often stored tender bulbs for months over the winter and as long as they are clean, dry and cool over the period they are ready to go again at planting time. Just make sure none of them are starting to go soft as that means they are rotting and the rot will spread.

Deer

Thanks Marhay I'll go do that

jezko

What bulbs are they?

Seen Daffodils (tete a tete) being bought today in a main street bargain shop, Had a Look and seemed very dry. And were not on offer so full price.

If you can't be sure when landscape work is done, maybe find a Spot to heel them in.
Or If you can source Large Pots to plant up (As Marha70 suggests)

jezko

Deer wrote: »

The landscaper is the site landscaper. They have a lot of other houses to do on site. I'm not going to pay for another landscaper when this was part of the price of the house plus I want to use the money for plants. I need a lot of them.

How big an area is this to be planted.

Deer

I don't know. The back garden alone is about 3 times the size of a standard 3 bed house garden if that makes any sense. Then I have two narrow strips in front of the house that I am thinking of not putting grass on and putting shrubs down. And then the front garden is a narrow strip that definitely needs shrubs and a normal size front garden patch. The last two houses I lived in thr gardens cost me about 600 -700 to plant and I think this will cost a lot more and I will have to take my time with it too as otherwise I will mess it up.

Am actually going to do drawing and plan it.

The bulbs are everything aldi and lidl have been selling over past few weeks - summer blooming bulbs.

Sonnenblumen

You must be in a very wet location? The weather has been great these past 4 weeks and great for landscaping.

Remove bulbs from packaging and spread them on grass/soil area and cover lightly with compost. Transplant when ready. Flowering performance may be impacted this year, but they'll be as good as new thereafter.

Deer

Sonnenblumen wrote:

You must be in a very wet location? The weather has been great these past 4 weeks and great for landscaping.

They were doing the other houses for past few weeks. It was supposed to be our turn this week but there has been rain and hail at some point every day. There are puddles out in the muck. I'm going spare with the 3 little boys. Cannot wait for grass.

Thanks for tips. Have been pottering away.

Marhay70

Just taking up on Sonnenblomens point and your reply, you have obviously moved into a new housing estate. What landscaping are you expecting to have done? In my experience "landscaping" in a new estate consists of levelling (maybe), spreading some topsoil and sowing grass. If, as you say, you are already experiencing problems with lying water, this is not something that will go away by itself and now is the time to look at sorting out drainage. Your soil may, in itself, be free draining but has been compacted by machinery and storage of building materials, this can be relatively easily solved at this juncture, by digging in organic matter and grit. If, on the other hand, you have heavy clay or marl then you will also have to look at additional drainage.
It's your choice as to whether to do this but it is much easier to tackle the job now rather than wait until your shrubs are planted and lawns sown. If you intend to get in to gardening, get some on the ground advice, it'll be worth it in the end.

Deer

That is a good point. I think I'll ring the landscapers. My understanding was like you say leveling off and grass seed and maybe a few shrubs but I will find out from them how much extra because I am realistic with 3 boys I will never have a perfect lawn but I don't want their mess and soggy land also!

Gairdin nua

Deer wrote: »

The landscaper is the site landscaper. They have a lot of other houses to do on site. I'm not going to pay for another landscaper when this was part of the price of the house plus I want to use the money for plants. I need a lot of them.

I had a similar experience some years ago when we moved into a new house which was part of a new development, will briefly say what happened more to make you better informed and less to depress you.
The agreement was the developer would landscape(i.e. level the garden and cover in 6 inches top soil and make ready for grass seed which we were intending to put I ourselves which we did. Fun started following spring when we got down to more serious gardening, we found no more than three inches of top soil at most which was strategically organised to cover a mass of builders rubble and concrete which had been dumped not only around the garden but down the drains which cost a fair penny to have them freed. The moral is "let the buyer beware".

Sgt Pepper 64

Beware of rotavating. If the area isnt weed free, as I suspect it isnt by now, then all you are doing by rotavating is spreading the weed seeds.
Its best to rotavate when the ground is soft obviously. If the area is that wet, you may need to put some drainage in

And I agree, get some big cheap plastic pots and put the bulbs in. But as long as you keep them dry they will be alright if they get wet they will rot

mayo.mick

Our local tidy towns group did a load of planting in the Autumn of 2014. We had a load of different bulbs which we didn't get to plant in time. We potted them up in large pots for the following year. As a bonus, there were various events on around the town in the meantime and we had 60/70 pots of daffodils, tulips etc that we loaned them, for an instant splash of colour! We then got them planted last Autumn.

Deer

I'm back

In the end I bought lots of bags of compost and planted them in there and the bulbs absolutely flourished. Was delighted with them. When I did transplant them though I didn't place them properly as in they were too close together. And that miracle grow is great stuff!

Am going to move them in autumn and probably just put them in lots of pots against the patio wall with the gladiolas at the back, then the dahlias and then the lilies with the smaller bulbs in with the lilies.

Some posters had addressed the lawn issue. They were right. It was a bit of a mess, was very patchy and I had to keep reseeding. Have fertilised it now and it is looking good. Still a bit patchy but not even near as bad as it was. I wouldn't be recommending that landscaper to anyone though.

Anyway long winded way to my question..
Will I wait until the bulbs die down completely to move them to pots?

And I'm buying shrubs for the corner where they currently are will I wait until spring to plant them?

Thanks!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Plant the shrubs anytime you can.

I'd let the bulbs die back ideally but if they are in the way do it now.