i planted 'queen of the night' tulips last year in about 1/2 shade. this year i planted it in mostly sun. i chilled them in the fridge first, just like i did last year.
when i planted them last year, i chose the shadier area b/c i was hoping it wouldn't get too hot there and they would come back. then people told me they do not come back here, or come back ugly/no good.
my new ones are about to open blooms. and today i noticed...my old ones are coming up and look good as well, tho a couple weeks in growth behind the new ones.
what do you think about that?! if they bloom i am gonna combine them all and stop buying them.
does anyone here have tulips that come back?
Tulips In Texas
Witch,
Whether or not they come back here is spotty. As a rule, in my experience, MOST do not come back, though I have had about 20 to 30% return for me, and I'm a ways north of you. It is true that they seem to return somewhat later the second year, if they return. However, have you seen buds yet on the ones from last year, or just leaves? One thing tulips tend to do for me is the bulbs divide the second year, so I get a lot of leaves and few flowers - and most of mine are 7 to 8" deep in a raised bed. Up at my mom's house in Illinois, they all return with no effort on her part, and are huge and undiminished. Tulips probably require the longest and most intense cold of all spring bulbs to perennialize. They should be planted pretty deep and kept as dry as possible in summer - I have noticed that the ones I have had come back have been in dry areas, or areas I rarely water. All of the ones that returned for me were in raised beds or on a slope. They say single lates are the best bet for southern conditions, thouh I did have some double early "Abbas" that surprised me and were of normal height and size the second year. I have leaves coming up now from some of the Darwin Hybrids I planted last year, so I'll see if they return in a couple of weeks at most. At odds with all of this, I have one patch of creamy yellowish white ones I got from Tulip World three years ago - a Triumph tulip called "Cream Perfection", that returned in the second spring at least 16 of the original 20 bulbs I had planted the first year, and this year I have leaves coming up and have seen 4 buds emerge already - and Triumphs are said to be the least likely to perennialize. Hyacinths, narcissus and lilies, on the other hand, seem to return for me annually with great success, as long as in a well-drained area. Keep us updated on what happens - but I wouldn't cancel any future purchases just yet!
Dutch iris are reliable " returners" for our zone. Early, too. I have one group budded up for the sixth year.
Agreed, Yuska...good point. Bearded Iris too
Witch,
From what I've read, most tulips need more cold than Texas provides, maybe with the exception of the Panhandle and should be considered an annual. There are a few species that may last a few years. What happens is that the bulbs don't go fully dormant, continue to use up energy stored in the bulb even when the leaves have dropped off and eventually die.
BettyDee
What I do down here in South Texas is let them die back, dig them up, clean off any dead vegetation, spongy material, etc, put them in a baggie with dry peat moss, then store everything in a cool, dark location (a closet) until fall.
The useable bulbs will be a bunch of daughter bulblets some of which won't bloom for a year or so, but that's just stock for coming years. ;->
Thanks, I was just gonna ask that!
Do you still put them in the fridge before planting?
I planted some of the very small growing tulips which bloom red too late in the season last year. I will have to find the name for these. They never came up and I thought that they had all rotted or been eaten by something. But some have emerged in the past 2 weeks or so. I will let you know if they bloom. These supposedly need no chilling, do well in Texas, but have very small blooms. I have tried some others this year which supposedly need no chilling (but I chilled them anyway). Both types are up, but only one looks like it will bloom. This one is also a very small growing tulip. I will let you know how they all progress and will find their names if they do well. I am sorry that I can not be of more help to you with growing tulips, but I have been experimenting myself. My Dutch iris, 'Oriental Beauty' has been very reliable for the past 2 years and is multiplying.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/67442/
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/64416/
I have found a wonderful little bulb that is doing great. It is False Freesia (Anomatheca laxa) also known as "paint flower", "painted flower" and "painted petal". It is a unusual corally red color with 3 bright red spots at the base of the lower 3 petals. I planted it last spring. It has returned and is blooming now. It appears that it self-seeded as well as producing new bulbs around the mother bulbs. Although the blooms are small (but really standout), there are 6 to 10 per bloom stalk and the blooms last along time. The plant itself is somewhat grassy looking. I'd take a photo of it, but it is raining right now.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/37069/
I actually saw some of those Dutch Iris - same colors - at my daughter's school this morning. They were very striking and I would love to add them to the middle of a bed. I have never been a fan of Iris, but I was going to put them on my list once I found out what they were. You did it for me though. :) It's great to hear they do well for you too. Very pretty!
That false freesia is a very appealling plant! I will be trying to get my hands on that plant I tell you!
John
Me too John. I am going to add that to my list along with the Iris. :)
Staci, did not do an exhaustive search and found this seller:
http://www.plantstogo.com/plantdescriptions/anomathecalaxa.htm
Very nice. I will have to bookmark that and maybe make a purchase after our move. Thanks.
I think Home Depot and Walmart might have the Dutch iris 'Oriental beauty' pre-packaged with about 3 bulbs per package. If planted now I don't think that they will bloom until next year, but I am not sure about this.
False freesia :There are other colors too: pink with dark pink spots, red with dark red spots, white with dark pink dots (‘Joan Evans’), blue with dark blue spots, orange with dark orange spots, lavender with purple spots and pure white.
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Freesia
http://hamakko.info/f04/040718e.html
http://nature.jardin.free.fr/bulbe/ft_freesia_laxa.html
http://www.mailorderplants4me.com/p_images/anomatheca_laxa_alba2.jpg
http://www.bulbsociety.org/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Freesia/Freesia_laxa/Freesia_laxa.html
The Bulbman has them, but he only sells them June 1st through September 15
http://www.thebulbman.com/MO%20List%20frame.html
white with dots:
http://www.thebulbman.com/Bulb%20Photos/Freesia/Freesia%20laxa%20alba.jpg
blue (lavender with purple spots)
http://www.thebulbman.com/Bulb%20Photos/Freesia/Freesia%20laxa%20blue.jpg
reddish coral qith darker spots:
http://www.thebulbman.com/Bulb%20Photos/Freesia/Freesia%20laxa%20red-2.jpg
Thanks htop, much obliged!
The species tulips I planted were Tulip clusiana var. 'Chrysantha'. They are small plants with grassy grey-green foliage and nice blooms that I found did not have to be chilled. They naturalize here in Texas which few tulips do. They are not as "showy" as regular tulips do to their size. The blooms are star-shaped. I planted some as a test this year and they did very well. Below is a photo of one of the blooms which is a nice size for such a small plant. The species tulip that I planted that came up, but looked sick and did not bloom is Tulipa saxatilis. I may have planted it too late in the year or it may have been in an area that was too hot for it. Its leaves have a more "tulipy" shape than the other one.
Staci and John, I have been collecting a few false freezia seeds if you want some. They reseed very well. My littlke patch doubled in size from last year's planting. When they start to die bac, the seedheads are so heavy that they arch all the way over to the ground so that the seeds can be dispersed.
Hazel, I would love some False Freesia seed and would be glad to send you a SASE.
I also planted the Tulip clusiana, but the cultivar 'Cynthia'. They came up beautifully and I hope to get more. Actually, I might be able to send you a bulb or two. I already dug it up and put it in a pot for my move and if I remember correctly, babies were starting. I will check tonight.
Hazel, I too, would be happy to send you a SASE.