How do I get my tulips to grow tall?

Does anyone know how to get tulips that are supposed to get 18 - 20" to get that tall before blooming? I grew a bed of beautiful tulips last winter that I'd hoped to use in bouquets - but they started blooming at 8 - 10" instead of the 18 - 20" they were supposed to be. What did I do wrong? Bury them too deep? I have heavy clay soil - could that be the problem? Should I did them up and plant them in planters? Any advice would be appreciated !!

2sequoyah,

When did you plant them and what variety were they? How deep did you plant them? Usually when they are short like that (assuming they were advertised to be varieties that should have been much taller), it is because either they didn't get enough of a chill period (hard to believe if you're in zone 5a - I take it that is in eastern Washington?), or that they were brought into warmth too quickly. Short tulips can be a problem for those of us in the south if we don't pre-chill them, but that should not be an issue in your area.

What kind did you buy? Maybe the ones you received were not the same type advertised? Early tulips as a rule do not get nearly as tall as late tulips, and some early single or double tulips naturally only grow to 10" or 12" tall. Many of the single lates grow to anywhere between 20" and even 30"! Also, Gregii and species tulips are naturally short as well.

Not sure how heavy clay would impact the bloom height - maybe others can answer - but I can tell you as a rule, bulbs do not like heavy clay soil and require good drainage and the ability for roots to breathe.

Thanks for your reply Steve. Yes, I live in eastern Washington state. The tulips were Apricot Beauty from Colorblends, from their catalog. IThey are a late bloomer. Now that I look again, the catalog says they are 15", but believe me, they were much shorter than that. I put them in very late in the season, late Nov, just as the ground was beginning to really freeze. What do you think of my digging them up and putting them in planters?

2sequoyah,

That does explain something. Tulips do require some fall rooting time; more than other bulbs to flower properly. I would leave them in the ground and see how well they do next spring - you'll likely have a better result, assuming your soil doesn't stay wet and soggy (hard to believe since you're in a dry part of the country). Now that I think of it I did plant some hyacinths at my mom's house a few years ago VERY late (up in Illinois- she was zone 5 as well), and they did not grow well at all, whereas those planted much earlier did fine. I would bet thew late planting/insufficient time for proper fall root development was the major factor.

BTW, I have always seen Apricot Beauty advertised as a Single Early tulip, not a late tulip. Early tulips are almost always shorter than the late ones. Good luck!!

Steve

Well, I guess that means no more using my hair dryer by headlamp in the evening to warm the soil just enough that I could get my drill in the ground! Believe it or not, I did plant a bunch a small daffodils and muscari last year like that and they did come up. Probably not all of them though. I am always late getting my bulbs into the ground. At least this year I got them all in before the ground completely froze, though the later ones won't have much time to put down good roots. Thanks for your help in solving the mystery!