hi frank,
i think you're just fine. we are still planting the last of ours. 'spongey', however, means gonzo/no go.

btw, you put 10b as your zone? or does it mean something else? it is very helpful for you and others to list your zone and location.location you have done, great!, but 10b is not the zone of western massachusetts.i don't know your zone but even northern CA is only z.9.

best,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/

i saw your amaryllis post>>maybe you go back and forth between fla and ma? in which case maybe you could do your moniker as :

frank10b in FL/5 in W.MA.

IF 5 is your w.ma. zone, of course!

best,
mindy

Hello All,
I JUST planted a whole bag of tulips last week at my mother's house down by Cape Cod. I looked it up and what I found was that it was OK to plant in January IF the ground was not frozen. It wasn't frozen, so I gave it a shot. They aren't going to show promise if I just left them in the bag in the house, so, why not? I don't know how I forgot about them. Out of sight, behind the door, would really be the reason, so I won't do that again. I hope at least a few come up for her to enjoy.
Good luck with yours!
Susan

Thanks for your advice. Some of the gournd was so frozen when I planted the bulbs that there may be airpockets b/c it was hard to get the earth to break apart. Then later it rained and softened the dirt so I went out there to push the dirt down, however given that I have clay I may have jsut make it more like cement. Oh well I guess we will see come spring, whenever that shows up. Just been in northern CA and seeing the wild paperwhites blooming int the fields makes me yearn for a more mild climate. The clay soils here are really just like cement, others have recommended that I dump compost right on top and just plant into that!
HOw deep should I plant the bulbs. I though that things should be put in deeper given the deep freezes, however none of my peony came up last year so I guess for some things deeper is not better. What about the bulbs above? Also, what should I do about weed control for wild berries and the goldenrod? Actually I like the goldenrod, but I want some cultivated plants to cohabit too

Hello again,
How did you ever give up subtropical temps to move to NE?
I think you may need to lighten your clay soil a bit, but since you already have stuff in the ground, you will know soon enough. Sometimes the bulbs around here don't come up because the squirrels and other creatures eat them during the winter months. Some gardeners go to great lengths to prevent this from happening. My mom swears her neighborhood squirrels were on the look out when I was planting and they'll be digging them when no one is looking! Different type bulbs require differing depths. I would follow directions for whatever you are planting regardless of the the temp of the soil. You are not alone liking goldenrod. Around my way, most of us yank them as weeds but others actually plant it, so its all in the eye of the beholder, I guess. Pesky weeds seem to be so hardy!
Mulch may help limit the weeds, but if your soil is so much clay, you probably don't want to mulch. I would suggest soil analysis or start another post regarding clay soil. I have learned from some very knowledgable gardeners here on GW - very generous with their expertise.
Good luck and welcome to NE. Sorry this has been such a harsh winter.
Susan