The 2 pots of Hyacinths (Jan Bos) in my warm office are open and smell heavenly! That is 3.5 weeks after I planted them and brought them in the warm office (after about 10 weeks of chilling).
Some of my other potted bulbs that I am keeping in the cold warehouse have sprouted a little bit too. I will bring in a pot of the Daffodils (since they sprouted) and one more of Hyacinths at the end of the week. I am waiting another couple weeks (to get over 15weeks) before I bring in any tulips. Check back then for Part C update on my experiment!
my daughter is getting married may 19th and we have blue and black tulip bulbs in my outdoor fridge to keep cold i am not sure when to plant them in butter tubs that we are going to use in the church in order for them to bloom in time for the wedding so i need help i have heard so many different times to plant please help this is her favorite plant and i know after they bloom it doesn’t last long.
Laura,
A little bit of a difficult task you have taken on!
Tulips need that 15-20 weeks of cold. They also dont like being out of the ground too long… they can dry up. Typically Tulips are harvested in July and then prepared for shipping. SO, what i am saying is… I recommend getting them planted soon BUT kept in cold. If this will be impossible- then you must wait to plant.
I have more details on forcing at this post: Forcing Bulbs
Once you bring potted bulbs into warmer temps- it will take about 2-3 weeks to bloom. BUT if planted and brought indoors at the same time period- I’d say definitely 3-4 weeks.
Those are BIG windows of time when you want it to look good on a certain day. They will only look good a few days.
I suggest a backup plan. If you get lucky enough to have them looking good on the big day- Horrah! and WOW!
Tulips are even more tricky than other fall bulbs when it comes to forcing.
I wish I could give you more encouragement and definitive times- but that is really impossible.
-Gabrielle
PS Blue tulips may have a slight blue hue- but they will be purple