Tulip Gardens

Hello. I really want to turn a long patch of land into a tulip garden. Does anyone know of any good sites to help instruct me in this. Some questions I have are:
How do you care for th area after the tulips have bloomed?
Should the area be raised? most tulip beds I see are raised.
Anyways, I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction!

Thanks-
Heather

Hi Heather,

I don't grow Tulips ... those beauties don't do so well down here in Florida with the hot humid weather. I did google and found this information on planning and plotting a bulb garden: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/grow/primers_projects/bulbs/index.html

and this regarding Tulips: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Bulbs-709/Tulips-trench.htm I have heard that Tulip bulbs (like a lot of others) will rot if there is not good drainage so a raised bed or raised berm type situation is a good idea.

and more good info: http://www.informationresourcenetwork.com/index.php?entry=entry080409-233603


Hopefully someone who grows these beautiful flowers will come along and offer some advice before long. Good luck and Happy Gardening!

Lin

Besides good drainage you will want to choose companions to hide the fading tulip foliage later in the season as it can be unsightly and must be left on to feed the bulb for next years bloom. I've planted all my tulips about 10" deep and overplanted with lilies, perennials or ground covers.

I just plant my tulips in my mixed border beds. I plant many that are species or Darwin or other more perennial types along with other bulbs and narcissus. I let them yellow before cutting them back. Works well for me. May 7th in one bed. Patti

Here is a collage of that same bed is from the opposite direction at various times this summer. Patti

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm is very close to me and they plant all their bulbs and then hill up on the ground and this gets them the required drainage. I agree with Patti ; I think I would make a mixed border as when the tulips are gone it will be bare.

Here is a collage of another area of the garden which includes the tulips then through the summer when they are replaced by the other plants. I have lots of good drainage on this sand pile, so perhaps it works well for me so far. I planted lots of lilies from Wooden Shoe among the tulips. Very nice bulbs from them. Patti