Best Spring Bulbs for Yukon

A bulb that comes back after a Yukon winter has to sit through long, hard cold and a late spring. Small, tough bulbs such as scilla, snowdrops and grape hyacinth are the ones to build around, with a showy allium for height. Tulips are worth a try, but they are a gamble here.

Best Spring Bulbs to Grow in Yukon

Whitehorse sits in Canadian hardiness zone 1b, a rating built on seven climate variables and not comparable to a USDA zone. The bulbs that do well are the small, hardy ones. Cold is not the worry, since spring bulbs need it to flower. The worry is whether a bulb survives the freeze-thaw swings and a hard winter.

Scilla

Scilla tends to winter over well in a cold northern climate, which makes it the most dependable starting point. The small blue flowers come back from the same spot and spread slowly. Plant them in groups of a dozen or more so the show reads from the window.

Snowdrops

Snowdrops are hardy, and that is the whole case for them. They ask little of the site and handle the cold that stops fussier bulbs. Plant them where you will see them from the door, since the flowers are small.

Grape Hyacinth

Grape hyacinth sometimes winters over, so treat it as a good bet and not a sure one. Plant it with scilla and snowdrops, and any that return are a bonus. Putting it in a sheltered spot improves the odds.

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’

This showy allium is a bulb worth planting in the fall to add height and a round purple bloom. It brings a different shape to a bed of low, early flowers. Plant a few bulbs among perennials that will fill in around the stems.

Greigii Tulips

A Greigii tulip has come up the first spring after a mild winter, which shows tulips are possible but weather-dependent. Plant a small batch as an experiment and keep expectations modest. Do not build a whole bed around them.

How to Choose Spring Bulbs for Your Yukon Garden

Start with the winter. Cold gives most spring bulbs the 12 to 16 weeks of chill they need to flower, so chilling in the refrigerator is a job for milder places. Choose by how much risk you want to take, and plant in August to September.

The soil needs to be cool when you plant, so wait until it drops below about 60°F. Hot, humid summers are not part of the picture in Yukon, so heat tolerance does not need to drive your choice.

Which Spring Bulbs Suit Different Parts of Yukon

Yukon is one large territory, and the main difference between its gardens is how late spring arrives, which changes how much risk a bulb can take.

• Whitehorse: Hardiness here is zone 1b in the Canadian system, and the last spring frost falls on average June 5. That is a midpoint, so in one year out of two the frost comes later, and early shoots should be expected to take a knock now and then.
• Dawson City and other northern districts: Spring runs weeks behind Whitehorse, so lean on the hardiest bulbs, scilla and snowdrops, and go by soil temperature rather than the calendar when planting.
• Upland and high-elevation gardens: These run weeks behind as well, so keep tulips and grape hyacinth to a minimum and favor the tougher small bulbs.

Wherever you garden, a sheltered spot against a south-facing wall or fence gives the less certain bulbs their best chance.

Spring Bulb Buying Mistakes to Avoid in Yukon

Planting Tulips Everywhere

Tulips are often short-lived even in kind climates, and a Yukon winter shortens their run further. Tulips are often short-lived in the garden. Plant a trial group of Greigii tulips and put your main effort into scilla and snowdrops.

Storing Bulbs Over the Winter

A bulb left in the bag over the winter dries out and loses its chance to flower. Planting late beats storing, so put it in as long as the ground can be dug. The ideal window is late August to early September, or when soil temperatures are in the low to mid 50s °F, early enough for roots to form before the ground freezes.

Feeding the Wildlife

Voles, squirrels, rabbits and deer eat tulips and crocus, and the loss shows up in spring as bare patches. Daffodils are left alone. If animals visit your yard, put your effort into daffodils and the small hardy bulbs.

Where to Get Spring Bulb Advice in Yukon

The planting dates here follow the nearest comparable climate, so confirm local timing with a Whitehorse garden centre, a garden society or one of the territorial gardening groups. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada covers the federal side.

• A garden centre can tell you which bulbs it sells have been grown locally, so ask in late summer before stock runs low.
• A garden society can share what has come back in neighbors’ yards, and its members are easiest to reach in spring when the results show.
• Territorial gardening groups can tell you when the soil is cool enough, so check with them before you buy.

Common Questions

Should You Cut the Leaves After Spring Bulbs Bloom?

No. Leave the leaves on the plant until they turn brown, and remove only the faded flowers. The leaves feed the bulb for next year’s bloom.

Do Spring Bulbs Need a Cold Period to Bloom?

Most need about 12 to 16 weeks of cold, which a Yukon winter supplies without help. Alliums, like other spring-flowering bulbs, need the cold of winter to bloom.

Are Daffodils or Tulips the Better Perennial Bulb?

Daffodils last longer and are the more reliable perennial bulb, while tulips are often short-lived. Daffodils are also left alone by the animals that eat tulips.