Garden Q&A: Have I left it too late to plant my autumn bulbs?

Peter Dowdall: 'This year, because the temperature is still above average, now is the right time for planting'

Crocus flowers growing at Cork's Lee Fields. Picture: Larry Cummins

I have yet to plant my autumn bulbs, am I too late?

ANSWER

Absolutely not. These are to be planted during the autumn and winter for blooming in spring and I would normally recommend staggering the planting from October through to January for a longer display in the spring. 

This year, because of the exceptional heat in September and October, the temperature is still above average which means that we are only now really at the right time for planting.

Many bulbs which may have been planted earlier can already be seen breaking ground, with foliage a few inches above soil level. 

We must plant bulbs at the right time so that they flower at the right time so the pollinators who depend on the bloom of crocus, muscari and others aren’t left with nothing.

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