Can I Put Daffodils in the Ground in April in Zone 6?

Proper Planting Time

• Plant daffodil bulbs when they are dormant. Freshly harvested bulbs are available for purchase in late summer through fall to coincide with proper planting times. In USDA zone 6, winter air temperatures drop down into the 0 to minus 10 degree range, so bulbs must be planted before the ground freezes. The ideal planting time in this zone is from early October to late November.

Setting out Plants

• Florists often force daffodil bulbs in small pots to give as cheerful gift plants in winter. After the daffodils finish flowering, you can carefully transplant the leafy plants outside in April. Avoid damaging the bulb and don't remove any green leaves as you transplant them outdoors in a sunny spot with crumbly, well-drained soil. The leaves make food that replenish the bulb so it will flower again next spring after the winter dormancy.

What to Do About Leftover Bulbs

• If you happen to come across a bag of daffodil bulbs you forgot to plant last fall, you can still enjoy flowers. While you can't plant them outdoors in April to get flowers, you can plant the bulbs in a 6- to 10-inch diameter garden pot in potting mix. Then place the container with planted bulbs in the refrigerator for eight to 12 weeks. Monitor the soil each week and remove the pot to add cool water to keep the soil evenly moist during the chilling treatment. After eight weeks, remove the container and place it in a sunny but cool window in the air conditioned house during June or July. Watch the leaves and flower stalks sprout from the container.

Using Pre-Chilled Bulbs

• If the loose, unplanted daffodil bulbs you receive in April were previously treated with cold temperatures in a refrigerator or left in an unheated garage or shed, they may still flower. Promptly plant them outdoors. Dig a hole three times as deep as the bulb is tall. Orient the bulb pointed side up and place in in the hole and backfill the hole. If enough cold treatment occurred, the bulbs will produce leaves and flowers three to six weeks later. If not, the bulbs will sprout only leaves but make food so the bulbs will survive the summer and then bloom naturally in March or April the following spring.