Master Gardener: Snow-covered early spring bulbs still might have a chance

Before the snow, we were blessed with some lovely sunny, warm days, tricking many of our spring bulbs into an early start.

By Dauna Koval WSU Master Gardener • February 23, 2019 1:30 am
Photos by Dauna Koval I mulched these tulips last fall with leaves. The deer got these the day after I took this photo, but so far they’ve left one I had surrounded with coffee grounds.
Photos by Dauna Koval I mulched these tulips last fall with leaves. The deer got these the day after I took this photo, but so far they’ve left one I had surrounded with coffee grounds.

By Dauna Koval

WSU Master Gardener

Before the snow, we were blessed with some lovely sunny, warm days, tricking many of our spring bulbs into an early start. Have you taken a look outside at the bulb garden you planted last fall? Are your bulbs like mine, with a few inches of leaves already breaking through the snow and soil? It’s at least a month early!

What will the recent freezes do to our spring-flower crop? Go out and take a good look at exactly what is breaking through. Look for long, thin leaves. Are there flower buds among the leaves? Which bulbs are up? Are small bulbs and corms sprouting, like snowdrops, crocus, Fritillaria, squill, grape hyacinths, Camas, or miniature varieties of daffodils or iris? How about larger bulbs: daffodils, tulips, Allium or hyacinths? Did you plant early-, mid- or late-spring varieties? (I hope you made notes.)

Smaller bulbs have a better chance of surviving late freezes. The larger bulbs are chancier. The earlier varieties of every species have a better chance of survival, since they normally do better in colder temperatures, even after an early sunny stretch brings them up.

If you have leaves alone (no flower buds yet), watch the leaf tips. If they begin to turn yellow or brown, that’s a sign that winds are drying them faster than the rain can keep them hydrated, although this doesn’t happen too often during our maritime winters. If needed, however, water is a simple solution.

If you already have flower buds, you need to take more drastic action. Tulips are hardy here, and they take longer to develop buds, so you might be lucky. Daffodils, on the other hand, form buds earlier. I do indeed find buds on many daffodils of all varieties, but not many on tulip starts. I’m watching my developing hyacinths, but I’m only seeing tips of leaves.

If the buds freeze, that’s the end of the flowering for this season. To prevent this, try adding mulch. If it’s practical, cover the buds. Be sure to track the freezing nights. As soon as the freezes have passed, uncover the buds so they can flower. Since our maritime weather is notoriously erratic, this will be a guess, but do the best you can.

Small bark chips and leaves are my mulches of choice, but this year I have been saving up coffee grounds and checking “coffee for gardeners” bins at coffee shops. Deer aren’t supposed to like the coffee scent, so I thought it was worth a try to add them.

Snowdrops are winter bloomers, and mine are already in flower. My crocus are up early, but most without buds. My larger bulbs are further along. Many of my daffodils do have buds. The tulips are just coming up, but are mostly bud-free. I mulched them all, trying to cover as many buds as I could.

Early-sprouting bulbs make tender, juicy deer food. The deer have been pretty busy in my garden and those of my Grays Harbor friends. The deer are leaving some sprouting bulbs alone, though. That makes mulching worth the effort. (So far, I have fewer deer tracks in my coffee-covered gardens, but the actual deer snacking seems pretty random.)

Even if you don’t get blooms or you just get chewed-off plant starts, let the leaves remain on your bulbs as long as possible. This will give them (especially daffodils) a chance to pack in resources for a try next season. Newly planted, repeat-blooming tulips that have lost their buds or leaves to deer or freezes may not fare quite as well. In these situations, their strongest blooms are in their first season, and they probably will not give as strong a display next year.

But there’s always hope!

Mark your calendar

The annual Grays Harbor Home & Garden Show will take place May 18-19 at the County Fairgrounds in Elma. Admission and parking are free.

Dauna Koval is a WSU Master Gardener, Class of 2016. She tends gardens in Ocean Shores and in Renton. This year she has noticed that her spring bulbs are up early in both gardens and did get covered in snow. She is anxiously waiting to see what blooms.

(Photo by Dauna Koval) Snowdrops are some of the earliest-appearing spring bulbs. They usually come out in late January or early February, sometimes even growing through snow. If you have any, they are right on schedule.

(Photo by Dauna Koval) Snowdrops are some of the earliest-appearing spring bulbs. They usually come out in late January or early February, sometimes even growing through snow. If you have any, they are right on schedule.

(Photo by Dauna Koval) These daffodils and smaller crocus are pushing through a light layer of mulch laid down last fall. Notice that there are only leaves, no buds. If the tips turn brown or yellow, our winds have dried them out and they need water.

(Photo by Dauna Koval) These daffodils and smaller crocus are pushing through a light layer of mulch laid down last fall. Notice that there are only leaves, no buds. If the tips turn brown or yellow, our winds have dried them out and they need water.

(Photo by Dauna Koval) These mini daffodils have already produced flower buds. If the area freezes, the blooms will die for this season. Add a heavy layer of mulch, covering the buds if you can until all danger of freezing has passed. If they fail to bloom, retain their leaves as long as possible and feed them to give them a healthy chance for next season.

(Photo by Dauna Koval) These mini daffodils have already produced flower buds. If the area freezes, the blooms will die for this season. Add a heavy layer of mulch, covering the buds if you can until all danger of freezing has passed. If they fail to bloom, retain their leaves as long as possible and feed them to give them a healthy chance for next season.