Of all spring flowers, tulips are among the most cherished.
They are relatively easy to grow and maintain. They come in more than 3,000 cultivated varieties and colours that are subdivided into various heights, flower shapes, fragrances and maturity dates.
Each year vast numbers of bulbs are exported from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Traditionally, Holland, the world leader develops new cultivars and colour introductions.
The majority of tulips are adaptable to most well-drained soils. Bulbs prefer a climate that has a distinct winter and spring. A change in the season triggers the plant to come out of dormancy.
The Royal Horticultural Association of Holland separates tulips into groups. As the number is extensive, a gardener has a seemingly endless choice for planting a unique presentation. Over the years, hybridizers have developed single and double early or late varieties, triumph, Darwin hybrid, lily-flowered, fringed, viridiflora, Rembrandt, parrot, kaufmanniana, fosteriana, greigii, multiflowering and miniatures.
Unfortunately, tulip bulbs can only be purchased in the fall, although they make their floral debut in the spring.
Gardeners who locate a particular variety or colour in the spring must have the foresight to record the particulars, so the new bulbs can be purchased in the fall. A digital record with a notation will assist greatly during fall planting time.
Often tulips will only bloom well for a few years. Some gardeners decide to replace spent bulbs with new cultivars.
Still other gardeners use tulips similar to annuals. They remove and replant new bulbs each year.
Gardeners who decide to keep their bulbs for additional years should remove spent blooms. Deadheading or clipping the faded flowers will prevent the residual from going to seed.
All remaining foliage must be left intact for six weeks after blooming so that the bulb can rebuild the energy needed for next year’s growth.
This green foliage must be fully exposed to the sun. Eventually, the leaves will turn brown. Gardeners must curb the desire to trim or hide these leaves during the die back period. Never cut, tie up or braid, as they must dry out naturally. By leaving the plant’s leaves intact, energy will be regained for the bulb through a process of photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis turns oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium into energy for the bulb.
All returning bulbs require a post blooming period where energy is collected and stored for the following year’s growth.
Gardeners wishing to keep their bulbs each year must deal with the drying vegetation. Camouflaging with annuals or perennials can be effective. Planting in groups instead of full beds is much easier to manipulate. The unsightly foliage is the motivation for large installations (for example, parks) to use the bulbs as annuals. Once the blooming period is over, bulbs are removed and composted.
Our recent weather has been very unpredictable to say the least. March midsummer temperatures followed by snow flurries make for a challenging environment for this year’s tulips. Freezing and thawing cycles may delay growth but the bulbs will eventually show their true colours.
With the overall stress, it may be wise to protect plantings with mulch. That will add insulation and regulates the surface soil temperature while retaining moisture.
Applying and digging in five or six centimetres of decomposing plant matter will improve the texture of the soil while releasing valuable nutrients.
Sprouting bulbs will push through the mulch as they grow.
Organic compost can be composed of the shredded bark, leaves, wood chips or straw.
The English proverb “April showers bring forth May flowers” certainly speaks to the need for moisture in the growth of tulips.
The amount of succulent-like, waxy foliage adds to the plant’s overall beauty, especially when droplets of water glisten in the sun.
Generally, tulips dislike excessive moisture. Ideally, soil should be sandy or well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic and fertile.
Rainy summers, irrigation systems, and wet soil are detriment to their appearance and performance. The blooms will look somewhat mottled and the colour will be subdued. Often extensive rain or watering will stunt growth and in some cases prevent blooms from ever forming.
Although a gardener cannot prevent extensive rainfall, it would be prudent to never deliberately water a bed. Wet soil leads to fungus, disease and rot. Always facilitate swift drainage.
Ron Stephenson is a member of the Fergus Horticultural Society
