Garden Q&A: Will rain ruin the bulbs I planted in September?
Daffodils and tulips: This year, as the temperatures were still so high in September, it was still early to plant spring bulbs, says Peter Dowdall.
This year, as the temperatures were still so high in September (we recorded close to 30C) it was too early to plant spring bulbs as the warmth would have spurred them into growth too early.
Now that the soil is so wet and waterlogged in so many parts, I wouldn’t advise planting until the soil dries out a bit.
For bulbs that were planted before the floods and downpours, yes, unfortunately, there is a risk that they will have drowned.
Plants are very forgiving of weather extremes, often bouncing back to life after periods of drought, excessive rainfall and extreme cold. The risk lies in how long they are exposed to such conditions.
The longer the period, the higher the risk. So, if the soil where the bulbs are planted dried out after a few days, then my guess is they will be fine; however, if it stayed waterlogged for days or even weeks, then unfortunately the chances are high that the bulbs will simply have rotted.
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