Hardware cloth is the only reason I had crocuses to enjoy this last spring. Some bulbs (crocuses especially, but also tulips and many minor bulbs) are like candy to squirrels and chipmunks. They smell them and dig them up and eat them as soon as they are planted.

In the past I have tried every kind of repellent, like hot pepper dip; none worked, and most were more trouble than the hardware cloth. I also tried planting little alliums in each hole. The tree rats had a good laugh over that one. I found the alliums tossed on the surface and the good bulbs eaten.

I read instructions on here last fall. Some people make little wire baskets and bury the bulbs inside: too much work for me. I planted the bulbs in clusters, and marked the corners. Then I cut a rectangle of hardware cloth on the spot, cutting it about 2 inches wider than the cluster, and staking it down with landscape staples. I planted one cluster, then immediately cut its corresponding square of hardware cloth so I would not run out of time, energy, or daylight before they were covered. They WILL tunnel a bit sideways, but not too much, surprisingly. Hence making the mesh wider than the bulb plot.

The kind I bought has half inch mesh, and is covered with green vinyl so it wont rust. I used the same pieces again this year, but decided to plant even more this way since it worked. I pulled them off when the foliage had erupted last spring.

I FINISHED!

Very hard for me to believe. I chose an existing hosta to hide the tulips under (umm, around, not under). I didnt dare wait to buy anything else. Who knows how long balmy 45 degree days will last. Id like to say I have learned my lesson, but I doubt it. This is probably a fluke.

And just for the heck of it, and just to get it done, I planted the orange and pink tulips together. Yes, together. I figure, when I see them after a long dreary winter of looking at grey snow and brown grass, whats a little color clash? So what if it looks like a crazy person lives here: that's not far off.

And a note to those who may have read the links above, and be tempted by my story of planting bulbs in Zone 5 on Dec 30th last yearI should tell you that it did NOT work out very well. Even though the bulbs were plump and healthy when planted, less than half came up. It was probably too cold for them to put down roots. They must have rotted. The ones I planted by lifting up a crust of frozen dirt had the most casualties. Maybe 80 % of those did not make it. The ones planted on the south side of the house, where the soil was warmest, had the best success.

{{gwi:11053}}

Oh, Sue! You are so funny! Here's one that will make you smile. I heard from Brent and Becky's today that my order will be shipped late this week. I'll be thinking of you next week as I am digging and digging and digging....

Har, har, har! Obviously others find it hard to believe as well, oh ye of little faith.

Ill have you know, this was not achieved without extraordinary effort.

1) I have intentionally taken a daily route that does not cross a Menards, Lowes, HD, or any form of Garden Center. (Even though I would REALLY like another Janice Brown daylily for $1.50. Stupid of me not to pick up 2) This requires a lot of zig-zagging, and creates extra wear on my tires.

2. When I decided I DID need mulch, I walked into Menards via the exit, even though I had to bring a cart from the parking lot, and even though I had to duck under the chains at the registers, plus dodge "helpful" employees who were advancing to head me off and direct me to the "right" entrance. This was done because the bulbs are displayed close to the ENTRANCE, which is far from the exit doors. If I dont see them, I can be stronger.

Since Menards was out of mulch (yeesh...), though, I will have to visit one of the above mentioned stores. I have not yet determined my battle plan. It may involve calling the stores ahead of time to find out who is out of bulbs, and patronizing only that store. Its a delicate balance, since the longer I wait the more stores will be out of mulch. But rest assured, I will be able to handle it.

heh heh heh.... just pick up a few more... it will be harmless! ...and orange and pink will be just fine- but I think you need some muscari with it to settle it all in (or forget me nots would be good too!)

I have a couple things to put in this weekend. It will be nice to get them all in the ground.

Linnea56,
You mean you went to Menards and didn't check for you any of the specie tulips? How could you?

Check out the link below to a pink and orange tulip combo...very pretty.

Kato, don't tell me you will then be finished too, please. I want someone else to be stressing over getting planting completed.

Well I finally started planting today. 21 little bags (cultivars of Historic) daffs.
The forecast looks good clear up until next Fri, so if I plant some everyday, I shouldn't have to knock myself out to get them all in.
Kato, don't you need some more Specie tulips?

Donna, did you go overboard?...hundreds? thousands? I'll be thinking of you.

Sue

I like that pink and orange combo! Tulips are so nice.... but I always get lazy around planting time and wonder if they are worth it -since they don't perennialize as well as daffs and such. Again I am reminded that they ARE worth it.

Sooooo I guess I will put some effort into planting the couple hundred that I foolishly dug up this summer. Then I have to deal with some more daffs and some species tulips (that came out of nowhere).

Sue, I didn't say I'd be finished, I just said it would be nice to get them all in the ground..... "a couple" is a relative thing. Still I'm aiming for Thanksgiving as the date when I want it all planted by.... and you know my reason for that!

It was warm today, and I WAS kind of kicking myself for having nothing left to plant. So instead I dug up seedlings of plants I want to trade in the spring, and replanted them in rows in the vegetable bed where they will be easy to pot up then. Spring is busy enough without that chore. Then I decided to dig up the dahlias I had earlier decided not to bother saving, plus the callas I had not gotten around to yet.

NOW I really feel virtuous! Its a new me..I was enjoying walking in a leisurely way around the garden on a nice day, not frantically trying to shove things in the ground anyplace. Watched a tiny little black and white woodpecker making test knocks on a tree. Looked at the sunset, and not to gauge how much time I had left before I could not see the ground.
La, la, la.lovely day..

Hmmm?.Whats that I hear?.... Is that muttering and my name being taken in vain?

Hmmm?.Whats that I hear?.... Is that muttering and my name being taken in vain?
Yes, you heard right. You were always the one I could count on to be a lot farther behind than I was. I feel so alone with all these daffs (and lastly tulips and muscari) to be planted.

I hope to get the New Zealand, Australian, and Irish bred, daffs planted today as well as the historics. That will be 47 little bags, and a total of 151 bulbs. I'm trying to set daily planting goals so I can be finished before Thanksgiving so I can maybe order some more when B and B have their big 1/2 off sale. Did I even say that?

Sue...heading out now

I am SO lucky...The B and B sale is way too late for my zone. Even by MY definition of "late". They seem to make it later every year. Good for me.

Only 151 left? (For nowand we all know what "For now" means). Surely you can tuck those babies in while just walking around the yard. Historics? Those are all really SMALL, right? Just a trowel twist and tuck for those. Easy.

Hey! I heard that.

Only 151 left?
No, that was just my planting goal for Tuesday, which I did not get completed...sigh.

Wed goal was for the N Ireland bred daffs, 32 bags, 140 bulbs, and I didn't get all of those completed either.

Do we see a trend here?

I hope to get Tuesday's and Wednesday's goals completed today as well as 27 bags of English bred ones for today's goal. Wish me luck!

Sue...off to make labels and then sort for planting

Good luck! .I see where your problem isits not the bulbs, its the LABELS.Its those that are taking too much time.

I stopped by a Lowes Monday week to get mulch. Outside my range, but they were the only store that had any left. Piloting my un-steerable overburdened cart (5 bags) to the register, I saw that they had 2 kinds of tulips left. Orange and purple. Yeesh. Now where were THOSE when I was hunting for orange and purple! Really nice ones too. But that bed is done and safely tucked in, so I regretfully put them back. (I am SO good)

I hope your weather there is as good as ours has been this last week. I find myself looking to see what is online, though undoubtedly by the time they would arrive, the weather would be bad and Id find myself in the same position as Ive been so many times before. With as many things as I already have, I still dont have any kind of Poeticus daffodil.
Seems like those always sell out first. My real weakness is lilies, not daffs, but I probably have some of every bulb that is hardy in Zone 5. ALL the local stores are now out of hardware cloth, so I cant allow myself to be tempted by anything that is squirrel candy. Otherwise Id, maybe, umm, get some more crocuses.

Gosh, theres that Home Depot on my route today.I passed up the bulbs there last week because they were only 25% off. I wonder if the price has dropped more.

I agree, the labels are taking a lot of time, but it can't be helped.

ALL the local stores are now out of hardware cloth, so I cant allow myself to be tempted by anything that is squirrel candy.
But did you know you can go on line and order it from Ace Hardware, and they will delivery it for free to your local Ace?
Ace Store Locator
available hardware cloth

Sue...ready to start planting. All set with cordless drill.

Heythe point is not that I can get it, by a little extra effort: the point is to be STOPPED, by lack of local availability of hardware cloth, from planting more squirrel candy.

My mother, when she was quitting smoking, used to flush the cigarette down the toilet after 1 puff. That was the 60s. We did not have a car, at least not in the daytime, and the store was not walking distance away. Her fellow wanna-be-ex-smokers laughed, but she succeeded in quitting.

I will do whatever works.

Whats the weather like there? Are you done? Its gotten quite cold here. I was thinking of you as I shivered my way to the car today across a windy parking lot.

Whats the weather like there? Are you done?
It was one of the best fall days here. Just right for a sweat shirt. No sun to make me hot.
No, I am not done, but today I passed the 1/2 way mark on the named daffs.I'm still trying to pace myself and get some planted each day. I 'am' done with all the time consuming label making and all the bulbs have been individually inspected. I found about 5 bad ones.
Though there is an 80% chance of precipitation tomorrow and 50% on Wed, I still hope to at least get some planted both days.
I just realized today that the big ole Seed Round Robin I'm participating in has to be mailed out by next Wed. I guess I had best start packing some seeds tonight.

Sue

First frost, maybe freeze, tonight! Worked like a trojan all day long: final cuttings potted up, final seeds collected, all rooted cuttings and tropicals inside and under lights, and yes, the LAST bulbs are planted (tulips in new mini fridge). I made a pot of spiced cider tonight. I might even pull out a sweater tomorrow! DONE! How sweet it is!
(Tomorrow: begin collecting pinestraw for mulch....well, maybe just done.)

Well, I can now join the ranks of those who have started. I am not nearly as organized as Sue. The only real sorting I have done is the mass merchant bulbs in one area, the show quality bulbs in another, and the rescued bulbs in a third. I try to put the tall ones in view of the road so people travelling past my house can enjoy them. I also separate out the dwarf so that I can plant them where I walk frequently. Tonight I plan to go through my show quality bulbs and find a game plan for exactly where they will go. My BIL is coming up on Saturday with his tractor to help me plant about 25 old garden roses and rescued peonies. Once that is done, I will have a new bulb area to plant. I plan to put some lilies in that bed.

sigh...where am I going to find the time and energy to plant 400 bulbs?!

Kathy

I'm finito with the bulbs. Hooray! Our soil hadn't really reached the 55 degree temperature yet (more like 58-60), but we were due some nasty cold wet weather for the next 5 days or so and it is close to Thanksgiving(normal planting time)so I went ahead and got them all done. Besides they'd been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks, so that counted towards chill requirement...Anyway, instead of planting them with frozen fingers and chilled bones when the weather turned cold, I decided to finish up on a sunny warm 68 degree day. As I've gotten older the more I put ME first and not plants. Here's to next spring to all of us.

This is first year I have not bought at least one large bag of daffodil bulbs, only planted 20 bulbs; and not a single tulip bulb. This isn't normal for me, and I'm not sure why I'm not "into it" this fall. I guess I'm spending the money on the inside of the house instead.

When Lowes puts out their clearance rack, I probably won't be able to resist tho and it won't be too late.

DONE!! Phew, so glad that is finished. I really didn't have that many to plant but this year for some reason it was more difficult to figure out where to put them. Maybe 40 daffs, 60 crocus and a handful of hyacinths. I even gave away to a neighbor, a dozen or so of a bulb that had increased and I had to dig out, that I just didn't know what to do with. We did use hardware cloth on all the crocus because the first time I planted them, they ate them all. [g]

This is my first year buying tulip bulbs in a very long time. I just couldn't resist that Orange Princess and I decided to plant them in a pot and bury them in the ground so I could use them and then take them out of a display when they were done.

I don't know how you all find the energy to plant hundreds of bulbs. lol I was so ready to be done with my puny little stash.

I'm done!! I planted my last 40 tulips (Apeldoorns) in my neighbor's front yard... I really couldn't find anywhere in my established beds to put them all! Being done doesn't keep me from wanting to buy more. That sale at BloomingBulb keeps calling me. The ground's not yet frozen here. I know that this unusually warm November is about to give way to normal December temps-- yesterday was 45, but Thursday's high is supposed to be only 27. Anything I order now won't get here before the temperatures plummet. Even if the ground is still workable next weekend, who wants to be out digging holes in freezing temps?!? Well, I have done it before...

All and all, my Fall '09 bulbs included:

128 - wildflower tulips
100 - tarda tulips
60 - crocus
25 - tete daffodils
20 - red Apeldoorn tulips
20 - orange Apeldoorn Elite Tulip
14 - yokahoma yellow tulips
15 - purple prince tulips
15 - jan reus tulips
10 - recreado tulips
5 - negrita tulips
5 - blue diamond tulips
3 - purple prince lilies
12 - Margarita Double Tulip
12 - Abba Double Tulip
12 - Focus Double Tulip
15 - allium Gladiator (small daughter bulbs)

Someone on the perennial started a thread on how small the tulip bulbs were that she bought from Blooming Bulb. I have no experience with the company myself. But maybe that would help stop you from buying more.

I saw that! I replied to her uneasiness. I've purchased from them before. You know me (sort of), I can't pass up a good deal!

Good.

I planted my last 40 tulips (Apeldoorns) in my neighbor's front yard... I really couldn't find anywhere in my established beds to put them all!

I know the feeling. I look at my neighbors' blank front and back yards and lust after all that space, and the sun. So far I have not actually planted anything there yet: I am afraid they would ask me to maintain it.

Yikes! Elleni. I'm in the same zone as you (but in southern Ontario) and you're still planting bulbs. I think the only ones I would plant this late are tulips.
I know how you feel about the fall bulb sales. They're not worth getting unless they are 50-70% off. The only negative part is that they don't go on sale often until very late in the year. My compromise with the ones that don't do well when planted too late is to pot them up for forcing, and then plant them out in the garden in the spring.

ontnative: I was just wondering about this very thing, and now you bring it up. I have been thinking about picking up a few things for forcing, but have not done it before.

Well, I think the fates have made the decision for me... I checked the BloomingBulb site (again) this morning, hoping the 40% off things I wanted would have dropped to 60%, but *everything* is showing sold-out on their site. I think they've quit shipping for the season. Darn! I admit I did email them this morning about it. No reply yet. Probably just as well...

@linnea56: I only planted them there because all the other spots I had open in my beds were near soaker hoses. I figured the longer lived Darwin tulips would stand a better chance in my neighbor's dry front yard-- if I can convince him to leave the leaves to die back and not water the area in the Summer! I put all those non-"perennial" varieties in those other spots in my beds.

@ontnative: Yes! Had BloomingBulb not closed up show for the season, I would have saved at most an additional $5 max! Silly. I should have pulled the trigger sooner. I have only tried forcing bulbs once. Last Fall BB sent me some free daffodils with my mid-November order. It was a mixed pack of eight that I split in two small pots. I put them in my unheated storage room off of the bathroom, but I don't think they got enough cold. I got 5 of 8 with leaves, but only one flower. I just don't have any spot inside or out that stays between 40-50 all Winter.

Not that I want to be accused of contributing to any kind of delinquency.... but...... I kind of cheat with the late season bulb sales. If I sense any weakness coming on I'll leave an open spot in the garden for late plantings. I cover it up with a heap of mulched leaves or something and if I have a tarp, throw that over too. When I get the bulbs, I pot up the smaller ones and either pot up or plant straight in the ground the larger ones. When spring rolls around I uncover and either let them bloom in place or dig out the pots and put them wherever I want some blooms.

I'm just sayin this is what I do.... I'm not encouraging anyone to break their resolve.

The end is in sight for me. B&B sent notice that the sale bulbs I ordered will me shipped this week. I live so close, I get them the day after they are shipped. My goal is to be completed by the end of the weekend!

kato_b, I like the way your think.

Kathy

If I sense any weakness coming on ...

I have experienced this feeling before. It starts in mid September when I can no longer deny that the garden is declining (despite much effort expended in planting, nurturing, and staking dahlias to stretch out the season, which barely get going before frost hits. Snarl.), and ends in mid-January. I think it is a form of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). It certainly feels like a serious mood disorder that deserves an impressive name. Not that Im an expert or anything. If someone even shows me a remotely pretty picture on a box or bag, no matter how shriveled the contents, I am on it like a starving dog. Its more than weak, its sick, really.

It used to end in mid-December, usually when someone was thoughtful enough to give me a potted amaryllis. Even if I had to buy and wrap it myself. Since last year I was planting bulbs in January, I have unofficially extended this season of garden grief that leaves one open to a secondary infection, i.e, buying bulbs one cant reasonably plant. In some ways its more like shingles: you get it only if you have already had chicken pox.

... I'll leave an open spot in the garden for late plantings.

Hah! Thats not weakness, thats planning. You are an ADDICT. Admit it. You know you are going to get another fix, so you plan your life around it.

Pass the methadone. Every time you see someone post a link to a bulb sale we are doing it.

Besides, whats an open spot?

"I live so close, I get them the day after they are shipped."

-very dangerous! Didn't they open their warehouse once for some kind of clearance? Not that I really remember... it's not like I was considering driving hours down to Virginia just to take a look. hmmmm.

Ok I guess I am a little addicted. I can quit anytime I want though, so it's not a big deal.

I'm pretty lucky in that I still have the luxury of "open" spots in the yard. It just takes a little doing.... and by "doing" I mean doing as little as possible. The lazy side of me says it's ok to plant new beds by dumping spare topsoil on top of the lawn, dropping bulbs on the soil, covering with a little more soil and then topping off with as much mulch as I can find. Unless there's some nasty weed in the lawn that comes up through it all it usually works out allright. So it's win win.... less grass to cut, bulbs quickly planted, and a new bed to plant once the bulbs die back....

linnea56 [from another thread]: Well, to be strictly accurate, things are in my cart, but I am planning on leaving them IN the cart until they sell out. That strategy worked last year.

I totally do that! I am *still* annoyed that bulb shipping time is officially done for my area. I keep telling myself that five days of below 30 temps mean *no* box of bulbs is going to survive the UPS trip to my garden. There is a chance I am going to Meanards with a friend tomorrow. I should probably warn her now to keep me from visiting anything on the clearance rack.

kato_b: The lazy side of me says it's ok to plant new beds by dumping spare topsoil on top of the lawn...

Hum, that's a good idea! This summer I dug out all the grass, with a shovel, from a small area for a new bed.

I never heard about the warehouse sale. It is a good thing. I am addict, I couldn't stop if I wanted to. They are about a 3 hour drive for me. I would definitely make the drive for the chance of a warehouse clearance sale. Of course I would have to drive an additional hour to go to the beach while I am down there.

According to UPS, the bulbs I ordered are stitting on my porch waiting for me to get home from work :-)but it is raining :-(

I plant bulbs the lazy way too. I drill a hole in the sod, plant the bulb, kick the dirt back on top of the bulb, and then layer with organics on top - leaves, straw, manure, wood chips, whatever I can get free.

Kathy

elleni - nice blog entry! thanks
digging out the grass is of course the "right" way, but I can't see the point in digging it up hauling it to compost and then lugging it back to spread out and dig in. Seems like way too much effort (coming from someone who *might* have dug up all his daff bulbs last summer "just to get a look at them")
hmmmmmmm.
If I'm ambitious with a new bed the furthest I will go is turn under the grass with a shovel. Takes a while and is definately work, but you can plant right away even if you have no mulch.

Free mulch is an awesome thing. I got a load of chopped trimmings last fall and could sure use a couple more truckloads this fall!

This truck, and several more just like it, pass by my house every day. They will bring me "clean" loads. I got 7 loads over the summer. One of my other neighbors brought over his tractor to spread the chips in the shady area of my front yard. It was great not having to mow grass in that area last summer.
{{gwi:28364}}

I need to spread the piles that are a couple years old so that I can have them put fresh chips in its place.

Kathy - who is not to happy to see snow/rain mix for Saturday's forecast.

elleni ...
I don't know about your area, but my Menards sold out over a month ago. So you might be safe. HD, on the other hand, finally reduced their bulbs to half off this week. Too little, too late, in my opinion.

We did got to Menards. I got the furnace filters which were the purpose of the trip. However, when we passed through the garden center they were not only out of bulbs, but spruce tops and burlap! Three strikes. My friend prefers Menards over HD for some reason. Probably just as well...

I did actually use all of one rain barrel and at least a third of the second one to water the garden on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. I didn't get home in time Wed night to use the last of it and left the tap open to drain before the long cold set in. That and putting the hose away means garden season is over for me! Nothing left but to start my paperwhites and watch the "mini" amaryllis about to bloom. Oh, and lament not placing that last bulb order...

The weather will become very cold this weekend. However, I had the deep satisfaction of planting 150 crocus and 30 Dutch iris in my Central Massachusetts location this morning. I purchased the bulbs for 50% off at Walmart in Leicester. I can't wait unitl spring to see them grow!

I had the deep satisfaction of planting 150 crocus and 30 Dutch iris in my Central Massachusetts location this morning.
Congrats! Dang, that's quite an accomplishment for that early in the morning.
I hope to get a few planted today after it gets above freezing. Hopefully under the leaf cover where I will be planting, it will not freeze for a while.

How much of a leaf cover do you need for that? Last year I remember "discovering" that the open areas were frozen solid while those with some cover were not. I might be able to exploit that some year if I knew what to aim for. How deep?

My husband has raked all the willow leaves into 2 perennial beds. They fall much later than the other trees (which are all ash) so its easy to segregate them. I figured the fine twisty corkscrew willow would just decompose and not mat, but Im really just guessing. I hope Im right. I know maple mats, so all those from the front yard (city tree) went to the city for composting. Theres still more willow leaves to rake, so I could go deeper if it is a good thing.

How much of a leaf cover do you need for that?
I don't really know. This is the first time I am planting in the front yard woods, after picking up sticks and limbs, trimming up some trees, pulling up tree seedlings, pulling up 'some' vines, and digging out lots and lots of May Apples, and raking aside all the leaf cover. Stringing the rows and doing the actual planting is the easiest part of the whole planting experience. I'd say the leaf cover is at least 6" or so. I kept watching the weatherunderground on the computer all day, hoping it would get warm. Even though it wasn't warm at 4 PM (was just 34 though it was sunny) I headed out to get a few planted. Surprisingly, I wasn't cold, the soil was wet, but not clumpy, my hands didn't get cold, and I managed to plant 15 little bags, 47 total bulbs.

so all those from the front yard (city tree) went to the city for composting.
How I wish I had trees that weren't all in the woods or at the edge of the woods. All the leaves at the edges of the yard are full of sticks and twigs. I used to sometimes go to friend's houses and do their leaves, just to get to bring them all home for the veggie garden. I've got this wonderful leaf shredder that reduces them 13 to 1, turning leaves into what I call brown gold.

I think the little willow leaves should be fine.

Last year I remember "discovering" that the open areas were frozen solid while those with some cover were not. I might be able to exploit that some year if I knew what to aim for. How deep?
I wonder if you couldn't just cover an area with either clear plastic or black plastic to keep the warm in and the freezing cold out, thus lengthening the planting season so you could get in on the late sales, like from B and B's.

I asked for a shredder last year for my birthday. Husband decided it was unnecessary. Maybe if I keep buying bags of mulch and compost it will get through to him. Though a year ago he started composting the kitchen scraps. I thought I'd faint.

I can hope.

Well I certainly hope that the 6 inches of snow I got yesterday melts in time for me to finish planting my bulbs today. I live in the south for goodness sakes. We are not supposed to get that kind of snow in the Autumn. Or at least not until I get ALL of my bulbs planted.

Kathy in the frigid SOUTH!

did it melt?

Our snow is sticking around.... I see 18 for a low towards the end of the week. I think I might break down and head out and get some potting soil, I don't even feel like scrapping snow aside to get to the soil, I must really be done for the year. A couple pots full of bulbs would be a nice thing, and I have a nice cool room for them to root in so it's not that big a deal.

-or am I giving up a little too easy? hmmmmm. I'll see hwat Monday brings, I'm always a little down at the end of the weekend.

Not much melting here. It only got up to 38 degrees. It is supposed to be 47 degrees today. But I doubt I get home in time to do any planting. The rest of the week looks like it will probably be okay. The bulbs I have left are the BIG daffodils I got to put along my road frontage. I don't think they will do very well in pots. I am hoping that I can still get them in the ground.

Santa brought me 40 bags of shredded leaves yesterday :-).

Even tho I love my job, I get a little down on Monday mornings.

Kathy

I have a friend (seriously, I am posting this for a friend) that received a bag of 30ish tulips brought back from Holland this Summer by his parents for his kids! Well, they have not gotten around to planting them and he wants to know what to do. They have been sitting in a mesh bag in an unheated (but not freezing) garage. I told him they could maybe still get them in the ground or they could be potted up and kept in the same cool space, but he wonders if they could just be left as is until the Spring.

I am posting this here as this thread still has some visitors.

Thanks,

Elleni

Ah, I should have mentioned, the garage is attached to the house, but unheated. He does not think it ever freezes in there.

elleni, I certainly would not recommend that they leave the bulbs in the bag. First, they risk losing a good many of them to rot or dryout out. Second, even if they survive, they'll probably skip at least one year of bloom, if they ever bloom again at all. If they don't want to plant them inground, tell them to pot them up.