tired tulips?

I know tulips don't rebloom forever.This is what I don't understand.They still come up every year.I got tulips that I planted 20 years ago that still come up every year,they just don't bloom anymore.They are not dead,they just don't do anything.I do have this one patch,that has bloomed every year for 20 years in a row.I have told people this and they swear I'm lying.Well I'm not.I planted about 100 red tulips in the back yard about 5 years ago.The first year they all bloomed.After that different ones bloom every year.?They all come up,but maybe 25 of them bloom.There is no rhyme or reason to the pattern that they bloom or don't bloom.I've lived in my house for 20 years.I've got hyancinths that come up every year and for the most part bloom.Here is the kicker,I never planted them.They were planted by the former owner.I wonder how old they really are?Yes I try to plant some new tulips every other year or so.Is there any way to give new life to old bulbs?I do fertilize all my plants.What is the scoop.Your comments,experiences and suggestions...Please,Edge

Edge, the first thing comes to mind is possibly your Tulips didn't get enough nutrients to replenish the bulbs? Are they overcrowded? It's nice that Tulips does well. Here in my zone they can't tolerate the heat of summer to perform their best. So I treat mine as annual, and replant them every year.

edge, for me the return of tulips seems to depend on the specific variety. Most Triumph's don't return well for me- some I planted last year seem to have disappeared completely. Older Darwin hybrids, Kaufmaniana hybrids, and Late Singles have been some of my most reliable re-bloomers.

Edge, I find that, like Gemini, Kaufmanianas and late singles, as well as certain species, rebloom well. But I have another thought. By any chance, are the ones that are blooming better in parts of your yard that get less water? I tend to dig up my tulips every year, but I always miss some, and I have noticed that the single late Maureen, which I couldn't get out of the ground for three years, not only bloomed but multiplied. Whereas multiflowering triumphs that I dig up come up as singles.

The reason that I mention water is that Scott Kunst of Old House Gardens suggests putting tulips in areas in which you don't water, and notes that they return well. It's probably because tulips originated in Turkey, where the soil is sandy, therefore sharply drained, and water is scarce.

Is there a pattern? Are the rebloomers in areas watered less?

Donna

Edge,
20 years is a fantastic run for a bed of tulips. Is it possible that they have finally split/multiplied into smaller bulbs that are not yet blooming size? Might want to consider digging them up when they are dormant and dividing them and replanting in a freshly prepared bed. It might take another year or 2 to built up the bulbs to blooming size again.

But I am actually more interested in your hyacinths that have returned for 20 years! I grow about 60 different kinds of hyacinths and have been collecting information on which ones are good perennializers in which zones. I might be able to help you id some of them. There are lots of my photos posted on the Hyacinths Spring 2009 thread http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/945905/

as well as in Plant Files. You can D-mail me if you would like to discuss this.

Chris,
btw (also from Conneaut-Rowe ). Small world ;>)

I have found that most tulips do well for 2-3 years for me, then I just dig them up and replace them. Usually when I dig them up, they have divided into lots of tiny bulbs. If I had the room, I'd try growing them into big bulbs, but I don't. I did have some that I think were Darwins that bloomed for 15 years. They were the cheap kind that come in a mixed bag from Shopko. I do good to get 2-3 years from Hyacinths too. Sure would like to find some that last longer.

susan

Susan,
You asked about hyacinths that come back more than a couple of years--
There was a thread last year on Hyacinths as perennials--check out this link:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/748556/


I have had very good luck in my Zone 9a (bone dry summers) with Hyacinthus orientalis L'Innocence, Fondant, Splendid Cornelia, among those that are commonly available.

Probably more relevant to your gardening conditions is that Cornell University did a 3 year study of hyacinths in 3 different zones including zone 5, zone 6 and zone 7. In their test garden in Ithaca NY (Zone 5) the best cultivars at multiplying and returning were:
Anna Liza
Atlantic
Blue Jacket
Carnegie
City of Haarlem
Delft Blue
Fondant
Gypsy Queen
White Pearl

All of the above were grown in full sun. Cornell found much poorer performance in zone 5 if they were grown in part shade.

Most of the ones in the Cornell study are quite easily available from mail order sources. Check out Plant Files for photos.

Chris