My bed of tulips 2012

Each year I try to plant something new in a large bed located by the street that runs beside my house. I've documented my successes (and failures) each year, so I'm starting this thread to show the results this year.

The first year I received the wrong bulbs (mis-marked at the grower, I think): http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/921976/.

The next year I planted the bulbs I was supposed to have in the first season: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1050210/

Last year I tried something different: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1172041/

For this year, I decided I wanted to 'push the envelope' a bit. I started off as usual, by pulling up the impatiens that had filled the bed with color in the summer.

As in previous years, I spread a layer of horse manure on the bed and had it rototilled before planting the new bulbs.

For 2012, I chose a favorite Darwin tulip - "Olympic Flame" - a large Mayflowering tulip that has a yellow bowl with red 'flames' on the side. I planted 1,000 tulips in the bed and studded it with 100 allium ("Purple Sensation", a variety that is supposed to bloom in May). My goal is to have a huge bed of tulips and allium blooming at once - we'll see how it works out. Stay tuned.

We have had an exceptionally mild winter, so far. Last week the temps were in the 60's several days and on Friday we received a nice, gentle rain for several hours. Today it looks like the tulips are starting to peek out of the ground. It's only February 5th - let's hope they don't get frozen when we do finally get some winter weather!

Oh goody, LG I love your threads. I can't wait to see your pictures this year. They are truly inspirational. Annette

LG, I was inspired to plant tulips after reading your earlier posts. This was my first year planting bulbs and I'm so excited for spring! The crocuses are already popping up, although they're not quite blooming yet.

Is that an oak tree next to your tulip bed? How do your bulbs do so close to the tree? I have a huge oak tree next to the street with a lot of surface roots. I'd like to try planting some bulbs next to it, but I didn't want to hurt the tree or the bulbs.

LG ~ do you treat your tulips as annuals?

I agree I love looking at your bed each year. ( I lurk that thread each year LOL )
I wish tulips would do that good here. They sadly don't :( and tulips are one of my most fav flowers.

Annette, you are too kind. Thanks!

SS - yes, that's an oak tree, one of seven in my yard. The tree roots don't seem to be a problem in the bed - I have it tilled each fall before I plant and we never run into roots.

Catz - I used to treat the tulips as annuals, but several years ago DonnaMack convinced me to save the bulbs in the spring and replant in the fall. The yellow tulips that were in this bed two years ago were in another bed last spring (below). I dug them last spring and planted them in the border to bloom this spring (hopefully).

Last year the bed by the street had multi-color Darwin tulips (below).

I dug them last spring and in the fall I planted them in the bed by the columns.

OOOPS! I keep forgetting I must post a horizontal pic. Sorry!

This message was edited Feb 5, 2012 6:02 PM

Try this one...

It certainly is going to look extra stunning this year when it finially does bloom. I always look forward to your tulip bed each spring. You do such a fantastic job!

Leawood, I love your post. Your yard is beautiful. Tulips are my favorite. I plant them every year. I tried leaving them in the ground one year (not a good idea here in AZ). I tried pulling them up one year, but didn't store them correctly.
My first round of Tulips have already bloomed this year.

Nice, Val! I went to grad school in Phoenix and loved the fact that flowers like pansies and primrose flourish in the months when much of the rest of the country is shivering under a blanket of snow. This winter has been unusually mild in Kansas - our first real snow came on Monday, but was gone by Tuesday evening. Today it's raining (we really need the moisture), so I'm sure things will be popping up soon.

Here's how the bed looked on February 26 - still not much showing.

Many of my tulips have started growing so I bet the rest of yours pop up soon. At least if you get some decent warmer weather.

We're getting a light rain today, which should help them sprout. It's been unseasonably warm (and dry) in the Midwest this winter.

Hi all, here in the Southeastern garden. Spring has sprung!

I love to see all the tulip blooms! I grew some tulips in container in my garden too, but I have to treat them as annuals here in San Diego.

Beautiful blooms. I love tulips.

I feel sorry for you, dreamjourney - it must be awful living in San Diego - HAHAHA! What I wouldn't give to be able to garden year 'round!

Like dreamjourney, my Tulips are also treated as "annual" for our climate doesn't afford the 'chills period' those bulbs need to produce flowers the following season. Though, we're a little short on the side of being able to garden year 'round. It's just that our growing season is a tad longer than up North. See those container within the flower bed? Those were last year's bulbs. They survived, but not flourishing at all.

Gorgeous. Exciting thread! Can't wait to see the alliums with the tulips!

LeawoodGardener， your tulip beds are stunning! I especially like the white tulip bed. They are just divine. Can't wait to see the olympic flames. Here in San Diego we don't have a lot of tulips or daffodils, but we have bird of paradise, bougainvillea and succulent everywhere. I tried to grow bulbs from South Africa or mediterranean, such as calla lily, freesia and dutch iris .

I grow bougainvillea, as an annual in my large urns and as a topiary I bring indoors in the fall. I have agapanthus and other tender bulbs in pots on the patio, which I bring indoors in the fall, but things like freesia (which I love!) are strictly a temporary pleasure I buy at a greenhouse, enjoy in the depth of winter and early spring, and toss when they are done. I would love to enjoy those plants in my garden year 'round, dreamjourney.

We had a nice, gentle rain Sunday, which helped push the tulips up today. Here's how the bed looks today. I think I must have missed a few bulbs when I dug them last June - around the edges you can see tulips coming through that don't look like they belong.

I guess, if the holdovers bloom, I'll just need to pic off the flowers so I have a solid bed of 'Olympic Flame'. The alium are the spikey sprouts you see dotted around the bed. It will be interesting to see if my concept works. I consider gardening an 'experiment' - no two seasons are ever exactly the same, so results may vary...

LWG, anticipation of one lovely tulips garden is about to unfurl. I can't wait. Best wishes.

Gonna look great. I can't wait to see blooms. That Tulip bed is always so wonderful each spring.

Rain for the last 24 hours (about 1.5") so things have grown overnight. Here's how the bed looks today.

They really are shooting up like weeds.

Looks like you'll have blooms real soon. I can't wait to see the full display.

The rain has given the bed a real 'boost'! There's one early bloom...

First bloom. Hurray!

And the show begins!

The bed looks great, any more blooms yet?

Here's how it looks today (Sunday, March 25); the forecast calls for temps in the low 80's. Tulips don't last long in the heat. Foliage, but no sign of buds on the allium. (:-((

You've got lots of nice buds coming along there. I agree about the allium, I've got foliage, but no signs of stems or buds yet. I've had allium planted for several years now and I'm going to have to say I'm not impressed. Last year I had leaves, but no blooms as well. This past fall I did plant Allium Purple Sensation and Moly, I'm seeing the leaves of the Moly, and the giganteum that was planted two years ago, but nothing from the Purple Sensation, of which 100 bulbs were planted. I hope I didn't waste my time planting them.

I have also planted Allium giganteum multiple times, I get foliage but no blooms, and the same with Gladiator. Lesson learned, if I get no blooms this year, then I won't be planting anymore alliums.

I too have had same problem with Alliums and Fritillias (sp?) I saw those ads. on Northern gardens and yearned for them. No such lucks. But then I saw avid gardeners down here has success with Alliums on raised beds. Perhaps I need to venture out a little to create a few raised beds just as an experiment? LeawoodGardener. I'm one of your fans. Just love your gardening design and dedication you've given to your surrounding, and sharing your joy with us and others.

The 'Christophe' and 'Gigantium' allium I have planted in other areas bloom faithfully (and multiply) each year, so I was hopeful 'purple sensation' do OK in this bed. Oh well, it was just an experiment.

But there are so many blooms going to open up on those stunning tulips.

Another warm and sunny day and many more tulips in bloom. I'm very discouraged that there are large spaces where there are no tulips. We were very careful when we planted, so I think the squirrels have moved some of my bulbs. I have found 'Olympic Flame' tulips blooming in places I would never have planted them (the middle of my hosta/fern bed and under the hydrangeas). One more challenge in the garden. My cats are not doing their jobs!