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While raking leaves today I discovered about 20 daffodil shoots and 3-4 hyacinths have poked through the ground. I guess they got confused after we had that freak snowstorm in October, followed by warmer weather.
I've had them poke through the ground as early as January before, but never this early. Any thoughts as to what I should do? Will they come back again in the spring?
That is a shame. They will probably go dormant again when it gets cold enough, but I would assume it might weaken the bulbs so they might not do as well next Spring. I'd probably just leave them alone and hope for the best.
There really is nothing that you can do. They possibly could have been triggered by the cold of the snow on the ground, followed by the warmth of the bright sun and relatively warm air temps that followed the melting of the snow, as well as the moisture from the snow melt. The snow on the ground probably led to much colder than usual ground temps at this time of year, at a deeper level than would otherwise be cause just by cold air.
Can I ask you where they are? Are the up close to a building on the south facing side? Sometimes these micro climates can trigger bulbs into growth at the wrong time of year as well, esp if it is combined with a much colder than normal snap. Are there actual bloom shoots on them, or is it just the foliage coming up?
If they do not bloom then they may be just fine for blooming in spring. I would say there is a better than 50% chance for them to bloom in the spring if they do not go full cycle now. The problem is if they do go full cycle now, is not only will they use up much of the stored energy in the bulb, but the foliage will likely be killed off by cold rather quickly, thus not giving the bulb the ample time it needs to absorb energy from the green foliage as it would otherwise in spring. If they were to bloom now, then you may only see foliage come out of them in the spring.
Bulbs are easily tricked into blooming as evidenced by all of the forced bulbs we see in stores in late winter.
While were on the subject of bulbs, did you know that there are fall blooming varieties of crocus? Most people don't know that. They are wonderful to add splashes of color in the garden in November / December.
While raking leaves today I discovered about 20 daffodil shoots and 3-4 hyacinths have poked through the ground. I guess they got confused after we had that freak snowstorm in October, followed by warmer weather.
I've had them poke through the ground as early as January before, but never this early. Any thoughts as to what I should do? Will they come back again in the spring?
This year has been a strange one, weather-wise, and has caused a number of spring blooming plants (up and down the eastern part of the country at least) growing and blooming as if it were spring. I have had several creeping phlox blooming, as well as azaleas in my own garden to name a few. It's been one of the most asked about garden problems right now.
Quite a few of the bulbs I have planted were also fooled by the heat to cold to heat we had at the end of the summer and have grown by quite a bit, others have not. Most did not break dormancy after such a small cool down but I have a set of Paper Whites, planted after being forced last winter, that are completely up but not yet blooming. Many of the gladiolas I had intended to pull up and either replant or store put up new foliage just before it was time to yank them.
Most likely the daffodils and hyacinths will slow and stop growing as it gets colder. Once the ground is completely chilled, but not solidly frozen you can add mulch (ground up leaf litter covered by a more solid mulch) and leave the green part until it browns (if it does). If you have a good snow cover that lasts the mulch is not as vital but your area does not keep snow on the ground very long, even after some of the big snows in recent years. The mulch will reduce thawing and freezing damage if added after it gets cold instead of right now. Mulching right now will only prolong the warm soil and growth phase.
All of the protection is to keep the bulb alive and eventually growing again. It may not be enough for the bulb to have strength to grow big blossoms in the spring since the premature growth will have tapped some of the stored energy. Please take heart, some will manage to bloom or have smaller blooms. There will be some that will be just green leaves preparing for the following year. If you take a long view and leave them eventually they will bloom for you.
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