Tulips

 

Last night on Gardener's Year, Alan Tichmarsh said of tulip bulbs that some
can be left in situ to flower year after year, but most "prefer to be
planted afresh each autumn".  What did he mean by that.?  That you should
use new bulbs each year (as I believe some famous gardens do) or that you
should lift and replant the same bulbs.

A second question is how are, and were, bulbs produced commercially. Surely
not from offsets?  Seed or micro propagation, if it can be done, must take a
long time to produce an adult bulb.

Thanks  Peter

 



it has been my personal experience over several DECADES, that some tulips
just aren't perennial. They produce wonderful flowers the first year, the
second it's remarkedly smaller and the third, it's pathetic.  I used to be
told to lift them.  That's a LOT of work.

But then I discovered that there WERE perennial tulips, and species of all
types of colors and petal shape.  Not quite what I thought of as tulips
sometimes, but rather remarkable nevertheless.  (bakeri, batalinii,
clusiana, dasystemon, hageri, humilis and Kaufmaniana.  more bizarre was
T.kolpakowskiana, linifolia, Little Beauty, marjoletti, orphanidea flava,
praestans Fuselier, saxatilis, turkestanica and vvedenskyi )  and before you
ask.......no I don't have them all YET. I have a select few of these above
mentioned.  I also have Greigii which are also perennial for me.

You are right.  To raise tulips from the pips that set alongside the parent
bulbs would take 3-4 years to reach mature size to flower.  Invest in tulips
that ARE perennial, buy the ones you like, enjoy them, then lift them and
compost them if you can afford to.  I also grow some of the not perennial
ones just because I adore them.  For sources for those I spoke of go to
ww.johnscheepers.com and ask for their cataloge.  You'll adore it. and keep
it as a reference for almost all tulips and narcissus and other bulbs. Great
keeper catalog.

all the best in your endeavors. hope this helps a bit.
madgardener up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee where I grow quite a diversified variety of
bulbs regardless of their hardiness and return <g>

 



Thanks madgardener - you have opened my eyes.  I always assumed all tulips
were equally perennial.    Peter

 


snip>>>>>>>>>>>>>..  prune>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  (bakeri, batalinii, clusiana,
dasystemon, hageri, humilis and Kaufmaniana. more bizarre was
T.kolpakowskiana, linifolia, Little Beauty, marjoletti, orphanidea flava,
praestans Fuselier, saxatilis, turkestanica and vvedenskyi ) and before you
ask.......no I don't have them all YET. I have a select few of these above
mentioned. I also have Greigii which are also perennial for me.

Here's a bit more to educate you (this is directly out of the Sheeper's
book, I give credit for whom credit is due):

Emperor or Fosteriana tulips are the earliest, mid-height tulips. Known for
their remarkably huge flowers and bright color, bulb size is usually 12 cm
and up, height is 16 inche to 18 inches. they appear and bloom Mid-April.

Kaufmanniana Hybrid tulips, also known as Water Lily tulips are low-growing
tulips perfect for rock gardens and border plantings. Most have beautifully
mottled foliage while all open fully on sunny days to reveal multi-colored
interiors.  They may NATURALIZE for YEARS when left UNDISTURBED in a good
spot.  they show in early spring. (I HAVE Water lily tulips. I specifically
have the original Kaufmanniana which is creamy-white flamed rosy-red with
golden-yellow base interior.  I also have Heart's Delight, which has a pale
rose edge while the inside is a pale rose with a golden-yellow base)  I can
tell you these ARE perennial for me in Eastern Tennessee.

The species of which I spoke of originally from the Mediterranean, Asia
Minor and the Caucasus, species offer unusual flowers in varying heights and
dazzling colors.  Known to perennialize better than most tulips.  These are
what all tulips were bred from that we associate with as tulips.
 Greigii are known for their marked and mottled foliage.  Greigii tulips
have two-tone shades against their unusual foliage.  (I have Toronto,
Pinocchio,and Red Riding Hood (which was my very first tulip I purchased, by
the way) and Tsar Peter, and mine were planted 11 years ago and still return
for me in my raised beds)

Single Early tuilps, Double Early tulips, Triumph Tulips, which is a cross
between Darwin and Early Tulips and have strong stems and large, shapely
blooms and are equally successful in the garden as they are in forced pots.
Triumph tulips are somewhat daintier than Darwin Hybrids.

Fringed Tulips also known as "Crispa Tulips", Giant Darwin Hybrid tulips,
were introduced to the US by John Scheepers in 1951.  Impression Tulip
series. one of the strongest tulips of all time. These breathtaking sports
are coveted for their immense, goblet-shaped flowers atop tall, strong
stems.

Lily flowering tulips, Parrot tulips (late blooming), Green tulips (yes,
green tulips) Peony flowering tulips, Multi-flowering tulips, which are a
part of the single Late Tulip class, then the Single Late tulips which are
also known as Darwin, Cottage, Old Breeder or French.


I hope this educates you to all your potential endeavors.

maddie

Thanks madgardener - you have opened my eyes.  I always assumed all tulips

  Peter

(you are most welcome!)

 


So many thanks for all that info.  I have cut and pasted it to my gardening
notebook and will make good use of it.  You must have been into tulips in a
large way.

And now for something totally different.  I have just finished reading a
book on "Tulipomania". Are you aware of this - try googling it.

Again many thanks    Peter