Tiptoe Through the Tulips

You’ve heard it from me before: you have to be a veteran gardener to fork over $50 or even $100 on plants that won’t bloom until next spring. But that’s precisely what many of us are doing when it comes to buying spring-blooming bulbs. There’s still time to buy and plant spring bulbs,such as tulips, daffodils, ranunculus, crocus, iris and lilies to name a few.

I like to stagger my spring bulb planting around the holidays. I plant my first batch around Halloween, another around Thanksgiving and still another around Christmas. This way, I have bulb color from early spring through late spring. After all, I want to stretch my bulb color as long as possible because – and this is the biggest downfall with some bulbs – they ain’t cheap! With some of the larger bulbs going for 75-cents more apiece, you want them to last a long time.

Also, let it be known right now that many bulbs are short-lived in our mild winter climate. Tulips, for instance, should be treated as annuals and are, therefore, a one-shot deal for the most part in our area.

Of course, it’s just my luck that tulips are my favorite spring-blooming bulb. If roses are considered the queen of the garden, then tulips have to be the queen of bulbs. Originating in Turkey some four centuries ago, there are more than 4,000 named varieties of tulips today. Colors can be found in almost any combination, and there are different types of flowers from traditional to frilled to the fancy parrot-types.

Heights range from dwarfs only a few inches high to nearly four feet. Tulips will bloom from March through May, depending on when you plant. And when you plant is vital with tulips. Unlike other spring-blooming bulbs, tulips should not be planted locally without giving them a deep freeze of around four to six weeks. This translates to placing the tulips in the bottom shelf of your refrigerator (not the freezer). This cold storage tricks the bulbs into thinking they’re back in Holland where it is obviously much cooler. Tulips will grow taller and fuller when they eventually come forth next spring.

Whether it’s tulips or other bulbs, make sure the bulbs you buy are firm and not mushy. If the price is so low it’s hard to believe, avoid them. They’re usually a big disappointment. The exception are sometimes large bags of the same type and color of bulbs, like King Alfred

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