664957 Thu Nov 05 12:01:59 -0800 2009 3 62 Gardening 0 5158694 This will be my first season planting bulbs. I have a feeling I'm too late now to plant the tulip bulbs I bought. Say it ain't so. :-( Thu Nov 05 12:01:59 -0800 2009 10813 KingsKetz 1 5158787 You can plant until the ground freezes. Last year, in Chicago, we had a foot of snow and then a major thaw in the middle of November. The snow created insulation and kept the ground from freezing. I got the last of my bulbs in and then the squirrels found them. This year, chicken wire! Thu Nov 05 12:28:36 -0800 2009 5158694 239418 Stuccolow 2 5161264 Good luck and THANKS! Fri Nov 06 10:53:35 -0800 2009 5158787 10813 KingsKetz 2 5163342 Normally bulbs and perennials are mulched after the ground freezes in climates like New York and northern Illinois to prevent heaving and premature growth during winter freeze-thaw cycles. However, mulching late planted bulbs at or shortly after planting time will retard initial ground freezing and allow the bulbs to put out more roots before the ground freezes down to the bulbs. Poor root development before the ground freezes is the only problem with late planting. The same rules apply to garlic and shallots. The soil is so wet in my garden that I do not know when I will be able to plant garlic. Sat Nov 07 09:58:58 -0800 2009 5158787 11364 Eldon Kreider