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Fall Planted/Spring Blooming Flower Bulbs: Optimum Planting Time

Fall Planted/Spring Blooming Flower Bulbs: Optimum Planting Time

Dutch Expert Info advises to plant fall bulbs anytime after night temperatures stay between 40 and 50 degrees. They also recommend planting up until 6 weeks before ground freezes. The Dutch recommended “optimum planting times” are shown below by region. However, bulbs can be planted right up to ground freeze, even after if you have to break the frozen crust on the ground, but nobody wants to do that dirty, cold work. In any case, in the cold regions, you CAN plant your bulbs easily up until the ground begins to freeze.

Region	Zones	States	Optimum planting time *
New Eng & NY	3, 4, 5	ME, MA, CT, VT, NH, NY	Sep 15 – Nov 15
Mid-Atlantic coastal	6, 7, 8	NJ, DE, MD, eastern VA, Long Island	Oct 1 – Nov 30
Appalachians	5, 6	central PA, Western NC, western VA, eastern TN, WV	Sept 15 – Oct 15
So Atlantic coastal	7, 8	eastern NC, SC, eastern GA	Oct 15 – Dec 15
Great Lakes	5, 6, 7	state of MI, eastern WI	Sept 15 – Nov 30
E. Central	5, 6, 7	IN, IL, KY, western TN	Oct 1 – Nov 30
Central & Great Plains	7, 8	northern AR, northern TX, OK, KS, southern NE, MO, southern IA, eastern CO, eastern NM	Oct 15 – Dec 15
N. Central	3, 4, 5	MN, WI, northern IA, northern NE, eastern WY, eastern MT, ND, SD	Sep 15 – Nov 15
Tropical	10	southern FL (so. of Orlando)	Dec 1 – Jan 31
S. Central	7, 8	eastern GA, AL, MS, northern LA, southern AR, central TX	Oct 15 – Dec 15
Gulf Coast	8, 9	central and northern FL, coastal AL, coastal MS, coastal TX	Oct 1 – Dec 31
Rocky Mountains	2, 3, 4	western MT, eastern ID, western WY, central CO	Sep 15 – Nov 1
Arid West	5, 6, 7	eastern WA, eastern OR, eastern & central areas of entire state of CA, NV, AZ, eastern NM, UT, western CO	Sep. 30 - Nov 30
No. Pacific Coast	8	coastal WA, coastal OR, coastal (far) northern CA	Oct 1 – Dec 1
So Pacific Coast	9, 10	coastal CA from Mexico to Santa Rosa	Oct 15 – Jan 30