Tulip bulbs - do you always follow the recommended time to plant in November?

Plantminded

Having placed an order for Tulip bulbs in early summer, they're being delivered today.  I know that the recommended planting time is November to reduce the risk of Tulip fire, but I have free draining sandy soil and have never had a problem with this in my garden.  There's no squirrels either, standing by to dig them up!

Rather than storing the bulbs for a couple of months and risking them drying out, I'm tempted to plant them soon while the soil is moist and easy to dig.  Is this unwise?

I'm interested to know if you have "bent the rules" successfully in previous years and look forward to learning of your sucess, or failure!  Thank you.

AnniD

I usually plant tulips in pots, so around the middle to the end of October. 
When l have planted in the ground it's usually been around the same time as they were planted with wallflowers and that's the way the timing worked out.
Touch wood, l have never had a problem with tulip fire 

GardenerSuze

@Plantminded I also received my mail order tulips today. I will keep them until end of October and then plant them. I have planted them as late as mid December no problem. Think we need to wait for cooler temperatures first.

Last week I planted some Narcissus Sailboat, new to me. They prefer to put their roots
down now if possible. However I have planted narcissus in January and they were fine.

Snowdrops are very different they have already started to form roots move them now and they may not flower.  As I have found out.

The only time I have come across Tulip fire was years ago, theTulips had been in the ground for years and I guess vunerable.

McRazz

If you have a bulb from a supplier and they've deemed it appropriate to dispatch it then I'd plant it.

The only time this should be questioned is if you lift and move them yourself from late spring/late summer.

We've got about 250,000 on order this year. They start to arrive from our suppliers around early Sep through to Nov and get planted anytime over that period, wind, rain or shine. Sometimes they sit in the warehouse until Dec. I've even taken some spares in the new year, in the green, and planted them in my garden and they've been fine.

Plantminded

Thanks very much for your replies @AnniD, @GardenerSuze and @McRazz.

  McRazz said:

If you have a bulb from a supplier and they've deemed it appropriate to dispatch it then I'd plant it.

That was my line of thought, better in the ground now and not like those suspended on racks in the light and heat of a garden centre in plastic bags!  However, it’s still quite warm here, so your point about cooler temperatures @GardenerSuze, has convinced me to be patient and wait a while.  I think I remember seeing a photo of your display of tulips and wallflowers last year @AnniD, well worth waiting for! Thanks again, no digging this weekend for me!

borgadr

I had no problem last year receiving tulip bulbs round about now, but waiting until November to plant them (in pots). I kept them in my unheated garage, which is not too damp and not too dry. Then trick is to make sure there's plenty of air circulation around them - don't put them in plastic bags or seal them in a box.

Fire

I think worries about tulip fire are probably overstated, in the UK at least

punkdoc

You might not say that, if you see a whole years worth of bulbs destroyed by it.

Fire

I just mean that people worry a lot about it.

Plantminded

borgadr said:

I kept them in my unheated garage, which is not too damp and not too dry. Then trick is to make sure there's plenty of air circulation around them - don't put them in plastic bags or seal them in a box.

I'm storing mine in my garage now @borgadr.  My garage has large windows so it's light during the day.  There's also a storage area connected to the garage under the house without windows but still dry, cool and well ventilated. Would both areas be suitable or is one better do you think? (I wondered whether total darkness might trigger growth.)

borgadr

It's never occurred to me that total darkness would trigger growth. But honestly I don't know and I don't want to give bad advice (someone else on here will know).
My garage also gets some limited daylight, so they aren't in total darkness.