Earlier this week , an email landed in my inbox that had me rolling my eye in aggravation and exclaiming out loudThis again ? Have n’t I just done this ?
No , it was n’t a work e-mail or any life admin issue . Just a seasonal newssheet from my local garden centre reminding me it will soon be clip to buy and embed my tulip .
But Mickey , I think you hump tulip . You write about them like they ’re the bee ’s knee .
I love tulips, but treating them as an annual gets a bit tiresome some years.
Reader , I do love tulip ! But it feel like I’vejuuuustplanted bulbs yesterday ( it was n’t , it was almost a year ago ) , and now I ’m supposed to do it all over again .
Some years , I fully encompass this seasonal garden business . Other time – such as this nightfall , for representative – I ’m a bit tulip - weary . So my usualmodus operandiis to examine to justify my choice and therefore find intellect why I should n’t plant tulip . You could call it a horticultural case of confirmation diagonal .
However , I ’m also a horticultural optimist ; as most gardeners are , I mistrust . So alongside all the reasonableness why we should n’t set tulips , I think I ’d mention all the solution we can engage to overcome this tulip pessimism .
1. Tulips are annuals, so we will have to keep replanting them.
permit ’s start with my obvious vexation with tulips this year , shall we ? hazard are that most of the sensational tulip for sale in stores or garden catalogs are a one - and - done kind of affair . The more alone the flower , the less potential it is to come back the same next year .
forward-looking electric light have been interbreed to look a certain mode – large flower cups , interesting petal variegation , swirly or frilly butt against . However , as a general rule , the traits that make them attractive , make them attractiveonce .
After their first spring , the specialty tulip cultivars might come back , but it ’s very potential that not all the bulbs will . For some of them , we ’re lucky if half of the bulbs resprout .
I love tulips, but treating them as an annual gets a bit tiresome some years.
And the one that do will not be as racy . The flowers will be smaller and generally on short bow . By their third and fourth twelvemonth , there wo n’t be much left of these fancy tulip bulbs .
Another affair that I ’ve noticed in my garden is that once I cut a tulip stem to get indoors ( to brighten up my dingy animation elbow room in early spring ) , that particular bulb will develop a much small flush the following year . In a sense , tulip are the opposite of ‘ thin out and total again ’ plants .
So the following fall , I ’ll either have to make do with a less than utter tulip footprint or buy more medulla oblongata to supplement the exhaust ones .
This was the third year for these peony tulips. About half of them didn’t bloom properly.
Is there a fix for this?
Yes , for this particular “ do not plant tulips ” trouble , there is a relatively easy fix . However , it come with a shift in mentality . We need to corrupt tulips that will naturalize well . in the main , the secretive a cultivar is to the original tempestuous tulip , the more potential it is to naturalise ( also called perennialize ) well .
We only require to plant these type of tulips once . And we do n’t even need to lift them once they ’re done bloom ; we can just leave behind them in the terra firma . Then , as the years go by , the bulb will separate underground and every offshoot will become its own tulip . It saves us money ( on purchasing ) , time ( on planting ) and effort ( because goodness me , it ’s not fun to plant electric light on a soak November day ) .
The mindset teddy comes in learning to shun the most showy groups of tulips in favor of the most robust ones . They ’re equally stunning , but in a different mode .
If you pick your specialty tulips, they’re even less likely to come back next year.
I wrote a separate pathfinder on bulbs that perennialize well . And some tips on how I increase the chances of tulips naturalize in my garden . Have a look at this article .
But if you’re in a hurry, here are the cliffnotes.
Tulips that you could naturalize : species tulip ( also know as botanical tulip ) , Greigii chemical group , Fosterianna mathematical group , Kaufmanniana group ( aka urine lily tulip ) , Darwin hybrids .
tulip that will not naturalise well : Rembrandt , Parrot , Viridiflora , Fringed , Triumph .
2. Tulip fire is a death sentence for our tulips.
If I ever found myself in ownership of a horticulture nemesis , the last affair I would wish upon them would be tulip fire .
Botrytis blight , also called tulip fire , is because of the fungusBotrytis tulipae . It ’s a relatively vulgar tulip disease , but its preponderance does n’t make it less thwarting .
Tulip fire is more probable to coin when the weather is overcast and damp for a protracted period of time of time . ( Hello , that ’s the entirety of wintertime and saltation around these parts ! ) . If tulips have been damaged by frost and hail , there are even more entry points for this fungus .
The closer to a “classic” tulip shape and color, the more likely they are to naturalize. This cultivar is called ‘Acropolis’ (Darwin hybrid group).
Much like blight affects all parts of a tomato industrial plant , so does tulip fire taint all parts of a tulip : from leafage to stems to bloom .
The leaves get distorted and spot – sometimes with the spots distribute so astray that they merge into giant marks . The tulip stems also become patched and may even waste .
As for the flowers , if you ’re golden enough to get any , they will invariably suffer the same fate . Small round spots bulge out up on the flower petal and make them wilt and fall off untimely . On light - coloured petals , the spots normally come along chocolate-brown . On darker colored petals , they seem whitened or emollient .
Bulbs that perennialize well will start growing more bulbs.
And once you compass out the incandescent lamp , you may notice that it is dot with sclerotia , a black or chocolate-brown fungous crust ( kind of like mouse droppings or lilliputian pebble ) . These fungal pouches will survive in the soil even when there are no tulips around .
And that ’s the kicker !
These sclerotia may lurk in the priming for years , especially in domain with mild winters , making that particular patch a no - no for tulips for up to three year .
Tulip ‘Doberman’ (Triumph group) is less likely to come back in full force the following spring.
Is there a fix for this tulip problem?
Once the fungus film hold , there ’s not much we can do other than keep it from spreading by removing all the infected material and destroying it .
A common source of Botrytis blight is taint bulbs . So every prison term you buy bulbs , give them a exhaustive review before planting them . If you spot any signs of mold , DO NOT PLANT the lightbulb .
Bulbs are also more likely to become infected if we accidentally damage them , either in the cognitive operation of plant them or when they ’re already in the solid ground . So be gentle with the jigaboo and the ramification when you compass around an area where you know you ’ve planted tulip bulbs .
Tulip fire affects every part of the plant.
Frustratingly , even healthy bulbs are not spar . Since Botrytis blight is a fungus , it ’s airborne and it can merely make its way into our garden uninvited .
That’s why good disease management is key.
take and throw away any taint material as presently as you see it . Do not compost blighted tulips .
amend air flow by not overcrowding the bulbs , especially if you tend to have squiffy springs . If you do like a bundle tulip seam , see if you’re able to mix and match cultivars of different heights .
Avoid watering bulb unnecessarily . And especially of import , avoid tearing foliage .
Thoroughly inspect even the recently-bought bulbs before planting.
We ca n’t completely prevent tulip fire , since we ca n’t control the atmospheric condition or microscopic fungi ; but we can ameliorate our chances by practise good flora hygiene and proper plant life gyration .
3. Tulip bulbs are an irresistible snack for wildlife.
I vividly remember the twelvemonth when I found myself the unwilling proprietor of a nook snack bar for squirrels . I jazz the little buggers because up to that point they had been harmless to my garden and a right source of amusement for yr .
All it charter was one unsound year of dwindle food supplies in my Central Pennsylvania climate and they quickly decided that tulip bulb were on the menu .
I did not ( and still do n’t ) have the forbearance to be out in the garden sprinkling chili powder on the bulbs after every showery sidereal day to keep these hungry customers off . And by that tip it was too late anyway .
Don’t compost tulips that have been affected by tulip fire.
Tulip bulbs are a delicacy for other wildlife as well . Mice , voles and cervid can be voracious consumer of bulbs , specially in areas where there ’s a spate of deforestation and wildlife universe displacement . cervid will even eat the flowers clear off the tulips after they have bloomed .
There are several tips floating around the internet that will purportedly dissuade athirst critters ; but I think the most effective method are ones that protect the bulb , rather than set about to chase away the animals .
Solution #1: Plant tulips in containers.
First of all , you could try out with planting your tulip bulbs in tumid containers . Then encompass the top of the container with hardwire cloth ( one-half in galvanized wire meshshould keep most critter out ) . When the bulbs sprout in spring , you may off the mesh .
If you ’d like to give this method a try , but still get a tulip seam look , try burying the container in your garden borders . They ’ll be protect from all sides , but still look like they ’re part of the garden .
Solution #2: Plant tulips in a bulb basket.
I wrote abouthow to use a bulb basket at length in this article , so I ’ll just give you the gist now .
A bulb - planting handbasket is basically like a covered colander that you put the lightbulb in and then bury . Once the tulips start acquire , their stems will make their direction through the holes in the basket and afford up normally .
There are a few type of baskets , both with and without the lid . The ones without the lid are meant more for accomplish a clip-clop force flavour , and less for bulb protection . So if you have a thirsty critter problem , choose baskets that come with a eyelid .
They just had to sample all the bulbs.
In general , I thinkmetal interlocking basketsare more efficient than plastic ones and last longer . If they do n’t come with a lid , you may use themin combination with a chicken conducting wire cloche .
Solution #3: Plant your bulbs in a lined-up trench.
I ’ve learned this magic trick from a book for bloom Farmer , but I have n’t assay it yet because it requires a larger investment than the old two method . And it ’s also a slew of study .
essentially , you excavate a trench . describe up the bottom and the side of the deep with alloy mesh . Then place your bulb at the bottom of the oceanic abyss , on the net . You then fill the oceanic abyss back with soil and secure the margins of the telegram with ties or string above priming tier .
I warn you , it voice like a mint of effort for tulips , no matter how somewhat they may be .
Plant your bulbs in containers, then use a mesh lid to prevent digging.
If you have this big of a problem with wildlife , it might be time to switch to planting Narcissus pseudonarcissus , hyacinths and alliums as your bulbs of selection .
4. Tulip bulbs can be tricky to store.
Unless you ’re store them in the earth – aka naturalizing them – the most probable scenario is that you ’ll have to excavate up your tulips once the leaf is all dead , store them over the summertime months , and then have to replant them back at the end of tumble .
I ’ve had miscellaneous success with storing medulla oblongata . Again , it ’s a case of “ it works for years until it does n’t . ” And last year , I had all sort of problems with my stored bulbs .
Let me assure you that I visit every single light bulb I put into storage . And that I hive away them in a cool and dry billet , in a box that allowed plenty of public discussion . Yet I still determine some incandescent lamp that went from healthy to non - viable within a few months . A few bulbs had rot in repositing , while a smattering of others were completely desiccated .
You can bury the containers in your garden for a more uniform look.
There ’s only so much you may do about it , once you ’ve made sure you ’ve trace all the near practices .
If you decide to dig out your bulb after they ’ve flowered , it ’s important that you await until all the foliage is wry . Once the blossom are gone , the leave airt energy back to the bulb to groom it for a new time of year of bloom . The stronger your bulb , the higher the chance it will keep well in depot .
Carefully lift the bulbs , making indisputable not to damage them in the cognitive operation . Then shake up the spare soil and allow for the incandescent lamp to cure for a few days , preferably in the sun . I dry out them in a composition board boxful on my table , just in sheath there are hungry furry friends around .
This is what a bulb basket looks like. You then put a perforated lid on top and bury the entire thing.
Store the dry bulbs in a nerveless , dingy and well - air place , preferably circumvent by material that will absorb any remain spare wet ( such as sawdust , Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin , cardboard or paper bag ) .
Yes , the difficulty of storing them in a coolheaded spot at the elevation of summertime is not lose on me . In late homes , where quad allowed , I stored tulip medulla oblongata in the fridge . ( Never in the freezer ! ) Now I just keep them in my nerveless pantry or in the basement .
What I should get better at is checking on the stored bulbs once a calendar month to nip any job in the bud . Discarding faulty medulla as early as possible means the bunk and fungi are less potential to spread .
Imagine a wire mesh underneath the bulbs.
The trick is that this would require me to be even more organized and timely at the meridian of summertime , when candidly I have so many other horticulture tasks vying for my aid .
I ’m still on the fencing about implant more tulip medulla in my garden this year . I have about a month to decide , since tulips should be in the ground by late November in my area .
But I might just give them a fille this year , cognise fully well that I ’ll come down with a serious case of FOMO between now and next leap . To compensate though , I’ll plant my common lasagna bulb containerand peruse online stores for some tulips that naturalize well for next yr . hail spring , I ’ll just have to detect contentment with the bulb that have already perennialized in my little garden .
Some bulbs had rotted and others had dried in storage.
Drying bulbs before storage is super important.
