{"id":673,"date":"2012-10-22T04:04:02","date_gmt":"2012-10-22T12:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/?p=673"},"modified":"2015-11-24T07:32:29","modified_gmt":"2015-11-24T15:32:29","slug":"the-trouble-with-tulips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/the-trouble-with-tulips\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trouble With Tulips"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE TROUBLE WITH TULIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Several friends who were more diligent than I about ordering their spring-flowering bulbs have already received their bulb shipments.\u00a0 I await mine, which should arrive any day now.\u00a0 Once again this year I have made every effort to order enough tulips for a stunning floral display next April.\u00a0 I know that I will install those tulip bulbs with high hopes over the next few weeks and my back and knees will tell me that I have planted in abundance.\u00a0 Next spring, I will find out whether my back and knees were good prognosticators.\u00a0 In my heart, though, I think there is probably only one way to get enough tulips in the ground–continue planting until you are unable to stand up.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have much trouble with animals digging up the bulbs in my garden, though occasionally a squirrel will indulge in some \u201csquirrel landscaping\u201d\u2014unearthing crocus bulbs and replanting them in alternate locations determined by unfathomable squirrel logic.\u00a0 Tulip bulbs planted in specific locations generally stay put and survive to bloom in the spring.\u00a0 Return engagements in successive springs are a different matter entirely, and though I resent having to do it, I usually treat tulips as annuals.<\/p>\n

Bulb vendors never used to mention the issue of the return or disappearance of tulips after the first year.\u00a0 Now some of them are a little more open about the whole thing.\u00a0 I noticed the following caveat under \u201cGiant Darwin Hybrid Tulips\u201d in the current edition of the John Scheepers catalog:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026their huge, strong-stemmed flowers may return for several years when in a sunny spot with regular fertilizer feedings (do not cut for bouquets if you want them to come back).\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I tend to plant my tulips in all kinds of places\u2014sunny locales, under deciduous trees, around the shrubs, etc.\u00a0 Generally I forget to feed them.\u00a0 I love to cut tulips for bouquets.\u00a0 All of that adds up to one thing\u2014new tulips every year.<\/p>\n

So what can you do to maximize pleasure and minimize expense?\u00a0 You can buy the little species tulips, like Tulipa bakeri \u2018Lilac Wonder\u2019, which is about seven inches tall, with pale purple flowers that feature yellow centers.\u00a0 My father had years of good luck with a species tulip that resembled Tulipa clusiana var. chrysantha \u2018Tubergen\u2019s Gem\u2019, with red and yellow petals.\u00a0 If you are going to pick these little tulips, but want to make landscape impact, select those that come in bright colors.<\/p>\n

For those with container or small space gardens, the species tulips are an excellent choice.\u00a0 You can even interplant them in containers with larger-flowered varieties.<\/p>\n

The species tulips are wonderful, but most of us love the tall, long-stemmed beauties.\u00a0 My advice is to pick the ones you like\u2014and the selection is enormous\u2014and plant them wherever you have the room.\u00a0 The only place to avoid is under evergreens, where they will never get enough sun to bloom properly.\u00a0 Those that you plant in very sunny locations that get baked in the summer will have the best chance of returning in subsequent years.\u00a0 Generally the second or third year they are a little smaller than in the first year.\u00a0 If you have the time, lift the tulips after they have bloomed and the foliage has had a chance to wither.\u00a0 Replant them in sunny, out of the way locations.\u00a0 If they bloom the following year, treat it as a nice piece of serendipity.\u00a0 If they don\u2019t, it won\u2019t matter much to your overall landscape.<\/p>\n

Some people I know have given up growing tulips completely because of deer problems.\u00a0 I have given this a lot of thought since Mr. Antlers and his posse have invaded my neighborhood.\u00a0 You can try interplanting with daffodils, which the antlered crew prefers to avoid.\u00a0 This may or may not work.\u00a0 If you have the room, you can create a small enclosed area and concentrate your tulips there.\u00a0 You can use repellant sprays, but many of them have to be reapplied after rainstorms.<\/p>\n

If you have a sunny porch, terrace or other space that is inaccessible to Mr. Antlers\u2019 relatives, grow your tulips\u2014large flowered or species types\u2014in pots.\u00a0 After they finish blooming, change them out for annuals or whatever else your heart desires.\u00a0 That way you can enjoy your tulips and other deer delicacies at close range while the dastardly deer gaze in confusion at the array of unappetizing hellebores and foxgloves that you have planted in your flower garden.\u00a0 Remember that your IQ is still higher than even the brightest of Mr. Antlers\u2019 fellow travelers.\u00a0 People who love flowers and gardens should never give up.\u00a0 There is always a way to outwit the deer.<\/p>\n

At this time in the retailing year, you can pick up good bargains on tulip bulbs and you can plant them any time from now until the end of December, as long as the ground is not hard.\u00a0 Any leftovers can go in containers and overwinter outside.\u00a0 For a good selection, go to John Scheepers, 23 Tullip Drive, PO Box 638, Bantam, CT 06750; (860) 567-0838; www.johnscheepers.com<\/a>.\u00a0 Free catalog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE TROUBLE WITH TULIPS \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Several friends who were more diligent than I about ordering their spring-flowering bulbs have already received their bulb shipments.\u00a0 I await mine, which should arrive any day now.\u00a0 Once again this year I have made every effort to order enough tulips for a stunning floral display next April.\u00a0 I know … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[295,267,458,275],"class_list":["post-673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fall","category-general-interest","tag-bulbs","tag-fall-gardening","tag-tulipa","tag-tulips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":674,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions\/674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}