i want more tulips, but

i have nowhere to put them.
i can't do them in some kind of big container, can i?
because of the ground temperature...

amy
*

where do you like to get your bulbs from?

Yes you can do them in a container. I like Brent & Becky's and John Scheepers.

Amy, since I have trouble with getting tulips to come back reliably for me, I do almost all of them now in pots, and just treat them as annuals. I pot them up now, and when it gets cold I bring them into my unheated garage for the winter. I then bring them out in early spring.

My favorite place for bulbs is John Scheepers.

But can they be in outside containers? Or will they get too frozen? i live in an apartment - no garage or porch.

I'm forcing some right now - have the bulbs in the fridge - will pot them after 6 or so weeks, then have, I hope, some nice blooms in late Winter, early Spring.
I've done this with hyacinth successfully, my first attempt with tulips.

This message was edited Oct 10, 2007 6:18 AM

Amy:

I like John Sheepers, too, for tulip bulbs. If you decide to go with containers, I wouldn't keep them outside over the winter. I'm not sure how much time they need in the cold, but I think havng them outside in containers all winter long would be too long.

I have planted them in a container and left it out one year. They grew fine. It was a while back so I can't remember how cold the Winter was. I did keep the pot in a sheltered corner.

That's good to know, Victor.
Thanks for adding that. Now I guess I'll have to give it a try too!! I'm always up for a challenge or two!

Here's information on pre-chilling tulips - the last post on this link being specific with names: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/calif/msg1003152610145.html

Thanks, pirl!
Headed over there now.

Amy, I won't say that absolutely yes, they can be left outside, but I'll relate what happened to me one year, about four years ago, when winter was still winter, lol.

I potted up several pots of tulips. I was really late in getting them into the garage that year, being such a procrastinator. When I went to pick up one 10-inch, plastic pot, one whole side of the pot broke off in my hands. It seemed the pot was frozen to the ground. So I left it there. Some of the bulbs were actually exposed to the air, the sun, the wind, all elements. I thought for sure it would be a goner and was just waiting for spring so I could move the darn thing.

So spring comes, and once again procrastinating, I left the pot there for awhile, and surprise, surprise! The bulbs start putting out shoots, and sure enough, they bloomed!

I think the reason the bulbs survived and bloomed was because I had planted early enough for them to grow a root system and prepare for winter. Soooo, I think if you pot them up asap, and if you have a protected corner to put them in, you may just be able to overwinter some outdoors. Also, in case you don't know this already, don't use ceramic or terracotta pots, but use plastic or foam or resin. These won't crack in the cold temps.

IMO, it's worth a try. Even if you just plant one pot for this year, what's the most you could lose? $8 worth of bulbs? On the other hand, you may find that it works wonderfully for you and in the future you can be surrounded by pots of beautiful spring tulips!

Good luck!
:)
Dee

Good story, Dee!

If Amy buys a large package of tulips she could try some outside (hidden) in a pot and some chilled in the refrigerator.

Very recently I read an article that said bulbs are from typically colder climates and for those with a problem getting tulips to come back it can be due to either not enough cold or too much summer heat. The article advised to dig up the tulips (after all foliage is spent and removed) and then refrigerate them until it's cool out - November/December for us in the Northeast. That would be a huge job for those with hundreds of tulips, I'm sure!

Tulips are not the most reliable for returning. Species Tulips are better. Darwin are supposed to be better but they were not great for me. Of course, now I don't even bother because of the deer.

In general, bulbs are much tougher than you might think.

thanks for the encouragement, Dee!

That reminds me, last year, while cleaning up my back stairs in December, i found 3 unplanted bulbs in the bottom of the box my Queen of Nights had come in.

So, we stayed in on new year's eve, and i got the idea to plant them at midinght - kinda symbolic of the new year - you can't give up on beauty, sometimes you just have to try to make it happen even when it seems unlikely. i didn't really think they'd grow, but i didn't have the heart to throw them away.

Lo and behold, in May, there were sprouts, and i wound up with 3 white tulips. So sometimes even hopeless efforts pay off with beautiful results - though they may not be the results you were expecting!

amy
*

Agreed: I've found Darwin tulips to be true perennials.

Agreed on the deer category, too, as well as their toughness.

This photo shows a 52 pound clump that was still blooming gloriously after 14 years but I felt it was time (past due I'd say) to divide it. There were over 280 bulbs there and, yes, I did bring out the scale to weigh it!

Good job, Amy!

Great stories!!!

52 POUNDS of tulip bulbs!
wow.
mind is boggling...

Were they Darwins Pirl?

Sorry, my fault, they were daffodils. Tulips don't multiply for me like that.

Do you know which ones?

These:

Oh, how pretty! Like a spring bouquet!

Sadly, due to my slowness, Scheepers was out of QONs. I used the heck out of the Garden Watchdog while searching online catalogs and comparing prices. i found a lot of places to NOT order from, and some were too expensive (Brecks!). i wound up ordering from a place called Santa Rosa Gardens (30 QON for 17.70). They have a very high rating (99/100), but it all seems to be for plants and grasses, not bulbs.
Anyone order anything from them?

amy
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No - I like Scheepers and Brent & Becky's.

I echo that. Well, half of that. I really like John Scheeper's quality for the price.

Does half an echo bounce back? B & B is a bit pricey but high quality. They are also cheaper the more you buy. I think they still have 100% positive on GW.

So, i found these "bulb planting baskets" for sale on a website.
http://www.oldhousegardens.com/things.asp#bulBasket
I'd been thinking about making hardware cloth "baskets" for planting bulbs, and i guess someone else thought about that too. Along with protecting from bulb eating pests, it'd make them easy to dig up again. But the picture made me think - maybe i can find other containers i could "plant" like these, but cheaper - that would be much easier...
thoughts?

BTW, if you want to see some amazing - both appearance and PRICE, check out their heirloom tulip bulbs too...

amy
*

i got my Santa Rosa Gardens order last week and i a really happy with it - all the bulbs look excellent! they are well packaged - "garden joy" brand, and all of them look healthy. (well, the rolf fielder ipheion are kinda small.) 30 QONs, 10 triumph shirley, 5 triumph inzell, 4 daffodil thalia, 10 chionodoxia forbesii, and the 6 ipheion for $44 with shipping.

and they sent me a surprise gift - a red lion amaryllis. like a whole plant!
i was REALLY surprised. it is more than 2 feet tall. (PF says 12 - 18". http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56448/)
i am waiting for my professor friend to tell me if she wants it - she grows tons of stuff indoors and out, but if she doesn't want it - does anyone here? no indoor plants for amy. if there was any chance i wanted indoor plants, the words "huge red blooms" took care of that!

Oh amy!!!! How lucky to get that amaryllis!! But, alas! That would be another one that the cats would eat!! I hope that whoever you gift it to will take pictures of it!!

PS ~ glad everything arrived looking so healthy for you.

Yes, Amy, if your professor doesn't want it I'd be happy to give it a home and I'll send you the postage whenever you want it.

I don't know about over wintering bulbs in pots, but I can tell you that Bluestone Perennials and Brent and Becky's bulbs have done very well by me. I'm also a fan of shopping for bulbs at garden centers, home depot, and supermarkets. Some of my best experiences with bulbs came from purchases made at the grocery store, go figure.

Hi laura!!!
I'm so happy to 'hear' from you!

Yes, I too have been lucky with bulbs from Costco's, HD, etc.

I am hoping that we are lucky with bulbs from Wal*Mart!
Springtime will tell!!

sorry/thanks pirl - she came and got the amaryllis yesterday. (At the same time as the feral cat agency lady came by with the traps - eek! Well, i caught one - he's at the vet now.)
i was worried about shipping anyhow - it's really big, and i think you can buy one at Lowes for less than it would cost to ship it!

I tried Darwins at a previous house and they lasted about 4 years. I guess that qualifies as perennial. I put in some species tulips two years ago but they were gone this year--probably squirrels and chipmunks did them in. Nowadays I mostly do daffodills for bulbs.

I have been buying from B&B since before they sold Daffodil Mart to White Flower Farm, but this year I tried Colorblend for some species I couldn't find anywhere else.

Thank you anyhow, Amy. I'm glad someone has the plants who will enjoy them.

Yes, Don, it's the Darwin tulips that are considered the "Perennial" tulips.

Don:

You'll have to let us know how the Colorblend bulbs fare for you. Would you please?

I shall obey,
Tune in next May!