My Bed of Tulips II

Sunday, April 12, 2010 - My 'sea of yellow tulips' is just starting to open. It's supposed to be close to 80 degrees today - I wish it would cool down and let these last a few days.

One white tulip in my 'sea of yellow' - I guess I missed one when I dug them up last summer. LOL

My boxwood took a beating this winter. Looks like there are several that will need replacing. (:-((

I had to come back and view your 'sea of yellow' fantastic!

At last! A warm, sunny afternoon and the tulips are in full bloom on Monday, April 12.

YAY. It looks great! Can we see more pretty pictures, please?

That is just BEAUTIFUL!!!! Glad you got the yellow you wanted and I can see why you wanted them!
Sherry

Congratulations, Leawood! Your display looks awesome! I LOVE the yellow - great job!

Here is how they looked on Sunday evening, as the sun was low on the horizon.

It's as though even the Sun knows the spotlight belongs on such a lovely area. They look wonderful. :)

Very beautiful, Leawood!
Looks like a beautiful neighborhood you live in as well!

Leawood. Well, you must have forseen how stunning your tulips would look with the ornamental trees in the background - redbuds? A perfect foil.

Donna

Leawood I know your not from the Show Me State but I've got to hand it to you.........You've really showed me some awesome tulips and that yellow is .......um ......just WOW!!

Cuckoo

Well I wish I could take credit for the redbud population in the neighborhood, but I had nothing to do with any outside my yard... LOL ... I can barely keep up with the work in my own yard!

Beautiful just beautiful!!!! I have enjoyed your tulip threads!!!! Many thanks!


Patty

No, no, Leawood, you definitely get credit for the redbud because you had the good taste to utilize it as your backdrop. You made it part of your design, even if you did it unconsciously. You still get all the points for having exquisite taste.



This message was edited Apr 17, 2010 9:18 AM

Donna, you are TOO much! By the way, I tell everyone that, because of your encouragement (and gentle prodding), I salvaged the 'Maureen' tulips from last year and look what I got!

The 'Mrs. John Scheepers' in this bed have attracted a lot of comments from the neighborhood dog walkers and joggers.

Oh Leawood, you must be so proud. You must have taken good care of your Maureens - they look splendid. I'm thrilled by your comments, but you did the work, and you MUST take the credit. Truly a job well done, and a work of art!

Your tulips are just beautiful. I really enjoy seeing the change each season.

Great job aagin this year, Leawood! But I am with Donna - and I love the flowering trees' backdrop, even if they are your neighbors'!!

Amazingly beautiful! What great return on 'Maureen'! Do you think you'll do the same with your bulbs this year? I knew a neighbor when I was growing up, an older man who had a raised bed in his front yard. I was wowed every spring by his display of red tulips. He did the same thing, dug all his bulbs in mid-late spring when he filled the bed with annuals and stored them in the garage. They provided a lovely display for many years running.

Yes, Donna's made me a convert. I'll save both to plant next fall - the only problem is, I want something DIFFERENT next year, so my beds are gonna be pretty full of tulips!

Beds full of Tulips can't be a bad thing, LOL. It will just get more amazing with each passing year!

Well, if you ever think you have too many and don't know what to do with some of them, I know a gardener in central IL who would gladly take a box (or two) off your hands! LOL

You got a GREAT display from your Maureens! I didn't expect them to come back in such force! Maybe I'll have to start digging my tulips. I planted a ton of Chameleon tulips one year, and was SO disappointed that not a single one came back the next year! They were really stunning!

Angie

Thanks for the wonderful threads two years in a row. I've loved watching the progression and final outcome each time. :-)

This message was edited Apr 19, 2010 10:09 PM

Agreed! I've really enjoyed these threads! Such fun to wait in anticipation to see how it worked!

Leawoodgardener....when do you take up your tulip bulbs..and when do you replant them?

You see now, dear Leawood - you are an expert! Others seek your guidance. Cool!

Donna

LOL. I fear this is like the doctor at a medical university who is demonstrating a liver transplant by the "see one, perform one, teach one" method!

I am FAR from expert, but here's what I did on my first attempt:

April/May - enjoy the blooms on the tulips I purchased and planted last October
Late June - when the leaves begin to yellow, dig up the bulbs and take off the dirt, stems, leaves and roots.
Summer - store the bulbs in plastic crates in my cool, dark basement
September - sort out the largest bulbs and replant. I'm told (by Donna) that the smaller bulbs can be planted to mature for future years, but mine languished in my garage all winter and now are in the compost pile.

After I've done this a few more times, I may have better direction, but that's what I did this year. Here's how my salvaged 'Maureen' tulips look this morning. Good luck!

Wow wow wow. It looks like Holland in Eastern Kansas, which is a very very good thing.

Thank you LeawoodGardner. Your zone is basically the same as mine...so that's what I will do.
Beautiful tulips!!

Leawood, you nailed it. That's exactly the method. Bravo! The only alternative option is storing them in a garage, which I did the last two years. That way you need not make sure they are bug free before bringing them into your home. That's what I have done the past couple of years, but you may be getting superior results by cooling them - I might try that. And you don't have to watch out for enterprising creatures like chipmunks sneaking into your garage and gorging themselves (which DID happen to me once!)

See, you taught me something. Thanks. GORGEOUS display. Your neighbors must be agog.

Donna

Do you fertilize them after they bloom, when you replant or not at all?

It's good to put in the kind of fertilizer with a balance of that of Holland Bulb Booster - 9-9-6 or thereabouts. Any fertilizer labelel for bulbs should be fine. In the spring, as they are coming up, they like a little more. I use a liquid 10-15-10 to give older bulbs a little lift. I just walk around with a watering can in the spring. I've read that it gives them an advantage. But I think the first fertilization with a bulb fertilizer is the one that counts. I think it becomes more important as bulbs get older. Some of mine have been dug up and replanted in excess of 5 times.

Leawood, what did you do?

Donna

Ever the novice, I didn't do anything in the way of fertilizer. I did have a layer of horse manure tilled into the bed before planting, though. My goal with the manure was to amend the soil and make it a little lighter.

This thread has been such an inspiration; I had no idea that would work and so well. Thanks to Donna and Leawood....this is one reason I joined and reup with this website. Such sharing, caring individuals....kim

Leawood,

Compost is the world's best fertilizer. And I suspect that your soil is very rich and fertile. Giving them a shot of fertilizer as they are dying down may help. Nothing strong, just a weak solution. But it isn't really necessary since you are going to dig them and single lates are so strong.

And Kimmy - you have one of the best handles I've ever read - you couldn't say anything nicer to me. I know what happiness my gardening has brought to me, and I love it when I can help others get to that ah ha! moment. Being on these threads means that I get to interact with people like you, who are trying to bring beauty to their lives. It lessens the expense and, yes, frustration if we share what we know.

Think about Leawood's neighbors! Can you imagine how many people passed by and smiled? What a lift he probably made to the day of many people with all his hard work? And the best part, Leawood, is that you want to know what's next. How cool is that?

Donna

VERY COOL Donna ! I bet people come by his place just to see what's going on there! I saw a story on Sunday Morning where a man (I think around 80) planted something like 3,000 tulips in his garden each year after chilling them because he is in southern CA. It was sort of a "everyone comes for miles around" because they weren't used to seeing tulips. Made me think of you two. I really have gained a lot of smiles and knowledge from you both and wanted you to know how much it means to me ! kim

You are an absolute sweetheart. You have made my day. Thank you.

Love both the yellow and white beds. Stunning! I'm blooming purple ones this year and am inspired to try the dig and store method too after seeing your great results with the white ones.

Susan