The stormy weather this week coincides with the end of the bulb-buying season. But the good news is that tulips do not mind being planted late. Small bulbs and daffodils should be planted by the end of this month but tulips can be planted as late as November with no problems. Other bulbs deteriorate if they are out of the soil for too long but tulips are adapted to summer drought so they store well in packs.
But you need to buy them as soon as possible while there is still plenty of choice.
Unlike some other bulbs, tulips do not always ‘do well’ when planted in the garden and just left to their own devices and they are best lifted every year. This is because the bulb you plant splits up as it flowers and is replaced by many smaller bulbs as well as, hopefully, one or two large bulbs that will be of flowering size the following year. The small bulbs will become crowded and produce just foliage. So you should lift them, dry them off, sort them and replant the biggest. That is what I do every year.
There are some exceptions and some are sold as ‘perennial’ tulips. These tend to be the most vigorous Darwin Hybrids, Lily Flowered tulips and Viridiflora tulips. These often bloom for several years when left in the border. Unfortunately most packs no longer state which kind they are! Tulips can flower from March to May, according to type and, in general, the later-flowering kinds are the best if you want to save them for future years. Those that bloom in late April and early May are generally the best. They also bloom when the weather is usually getting better and these kinds are the easiest to grow. Look on the packs for the flowering time for guidance.
Tulips are easiest to manage if you grow them in pots or in traditional bedding schemes, dug up in late May to make room for summer flowers. I am getting a bit ahead of myself here but, if you let them start to die down after flowering and carefully lift them in late May, you can dry them off and can replant the largest bulbs the following autumn. So although tulips are not ‘cheap’ they need not be discarded after the first year. I tend to plant the most expensive tulips in pots the first year and then reuse them in beds the second year.
The fun with tulips, and what makes them so good for adventurous gardeners, is that there is such a huge range in colours, shapes and heights as well as flowering time. And tulips are always fascinating, at all stages of growth as the flowers mature.
Below are three photos of a pot planted with ‘Purissima Blonde’. ‘Purissima’ is a white Fosteriana tulip. These are remarkable for their huge flowers, opening in April. They are also perennial and one of the kinds that will reappear in your garden if planted in full sun. They are one of the parents of the very strong growing Darwin Hybrids. ‘Purissima Blonde’ is a variegated tulip (there are many others) and I like these because the foliage is beautiful and adds something to the garden well before the flowers open.
I planted the pot with ten tulips and planted three heuchera ‘Ginger Ale’ above them. As soon as the leaves appeared I had a very attractive pot. (I wrote about heucheras a few weeks ago)
A few weeks later the foliage was fully grown and the white flowers were maturing. It was just a shame that they did not show up well against the house! It is painted dark green now – as you can see in the top photo!
A few weeks later the flowers were fully open. And later still, after I deadheaded the tulips, the foliage was still looking good. A lot of value from ten bulbs.
Possibly the best value tulips are the Greigii hybrids, distinguished by their short stature, rather angular blooms and the attractively striped leaves which are beautiful before and after the flowers. ‘Red Riding Hood’ with large, scarlet blooms (not the one in the photo above) is the commonest and the least expensive and is the one to try.
My favourites are the Lily Flowered and Viridiflora kinds because they are elegant and the flowers are long-lasting.
But there are lots of others to try. ‘Ice Cream’ is an odd thing and there are now lots of variations on it. They are all the rage! The flowers comprise a ‘cup’ of green or coloured petals and a ‘tuft’ of white or other softer petals. It is an early-flowering tulip and I find it tricky to keep. Although, in all honesty, I am not that bothered because, having grown it once, I don’t think I will bother again. There are lots of other, much better, tulips to try.
Another new (ish) kind are the Coronet tulips which have flowers with recurved petals. ‘Picture’ was the first of this kind but now there are several colours including ‘Red Dress’ (below). It has rapidly become one of my favourites. The flowers last for ages and are so elegant. The colour is lovely and it has proven easy to keep too. I recommend giving them a try.
So treat yourself to some tulip bulbs this week. Don’t worry that you have not cleared your borders, you can grow them in pots. You can use any good multipurpose compost.
If you are replacing summer bedding in pots you do not need to replace all the compost – just the upper 15-20cm. Mix some controlled-release fertiliser into the old compost, plant the tulips and top up with fresh compost. And pop some violas on top for extra colour.