By Mikem1958
United States
I have a couple of bulbs I picked off of a wild flower this fall after the bloom died. I was going to plant them this spring but they have started to grow laying on my kitchen counter. What do I need to do with them now until spring??
- 20 Nov, 2016
Answers
which plant were the bulbs from? this may make a difference to what you should do.
welcome to GoY too.
Yes picking wild flowers isn't a good thing these days. There are laws in the UK to prevent the digging up of any wild root, some more endangered species have stricter regulations about seeds etc.
21 Nov, 2016
Here in Arizona, a permit from the Department of Agriculture is needed to dig up or harvest seeds from many of our native plants. Most such permits go to botanical gardens and arboretums, occasionally to nurseries and private citizens, if an area's flora needs rescuing from development or the building of a reservoir.
21 Nov, 2016
Best to plant them right away, if your soil isn't frozen. If it is, plant them in pots at least 5 times the diameter of the bulbs, and keep them where their soil won't freeze. Normally I would say, "Shame on you, for picking wildflowers!", but there may be mitigating circumstances. If they were on private land, and you had the permission of the owner, and it isn't an endangered species--like our Desert Mariposa Lily (Calochortus kennedyi), or many native orchids--then it may be all to the good.
21 Nov, 2016