Bulbs - Tulip
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  (February) Is there still time to plant tulips? And, if not, where could I find "a lot" of pink tulips? And is it advisable or not to plant them at an eve of a house where when it rains it somewhat pours? That's where I would like to plant them because I think they would be pretty there. And it's on the north side of the house, will that be okay for them? Thank you!

  I would hope you can't still find tulip bulbs this late. The peak planting season is from October through December. Planting as late as mid January is not bad, but by now you are a bit past time. If you found some bulbs you bought but haven't planted, that is one thing, and I would say go ahead and plant--they won't last another season any way. But I doubt you would find any bulbs now. As for future planting, planting at a spot that gets heavy water run-off is ok, if the soil is well drained, and the water doesn't sit, or erode away. If the spot stays waterlogged for days afterwards, I would look for a drier spot. Most florists and garden centers often have forced tulips in bloom now, or as cut flowers.

  (February) I have 6 tulip bulbs stored in my refrigerator since last spring and would like to try to force them for indoor potting. Please give me some information for my experiment.

  My, but they should be well chilled! Have they not started sprouting? If the bulbs still feel firm, go ahead and take them out of the refrigerator and pot them in any normal potting soil. Water them lightly and wait for signs of growth. Then increase the watering and light exposure. If they are still ok, they should be in bloom within six to eight weeks of new growth beginning--about the same time as our bulbs outdoors! In the future, put the bulbs in the refrigerator in the early fall. If you have room to have potted bulbs that speeds up the process, but most of us don't have that option. If they are pre-chilling in soil, they will root and bloom quicker. Stored as just bulbs, once planted they must have time to root and grow before blooming. Spring bulbs need 12 - 16 weeks of chilling.

  (March) I received several azaleas and gardenias and a pot of tulips this week when my father died. When should I plant these and how? How should I care for them until planting? They will be planted in South Arkansas (El Dorado).

  For now, just treat these plants as houseplants and give them a bright sunny location, and keep them evenly moist, but don't allow them to stand in water. Plant them outdoors in mid April to early May. Of the three plants you mentioned, you will probably have the best results on the gardenias. The azaleas might survive, but there are different varieties for hardy bushes and those forced in the greenhouse. Sometimes they do fine. Give both shrubs a morning sun/afternoon shade location in an acidic, well-drained soil. The tulips are probably best enjoyed for now. Tulips don't repeat bloom well even outside, so your chances of pretty flowers after forcing, are minimal. You can try, but I don't think it is worth the effort.

  (April) There are quite a few tulips in my flowerbed that come up each year. This year there were lots of big leaves but very few blooms. Could that be the weather? Some are being crowded out by my barberry and spirea bushes. Can they be moved now? Thanks.

  Tulips are not one of our best repeating spring bulbs. They do need sunlight and active growth for a minimum of six weeks following the bloom cycle to regenerate a flower for the next year, but they often begin to play out after two or three seasons. Many people, wanting the showiest, largest blooms each season, opt for new bulbs each fall. If you want to give it one more season, dig them up now, move them and replant ASAP. Then let the foliage die down, and see what happens next spring.

  (April) When the tulip blossom has fallen off , should the stem and top of the stem be cut off or should it be left to go down with the leaves ?

  If you have the time, cut off the flower stalk to prevent seed production. This should keep the energy flowing downward to produce a flower for next year. It is not 100% vital that you do this, but every little bit helps with tulips. It is a bit late to begin fertilization, but better late than never if you haven't. Allow the leaves at least 6 weeks of green growth following flowering.

  I've had several questions about tulips that seem to be blooming on a shorter stem than normal. Lots of tulips don't seem to reach their height potential and actually have blooms that virtually sit on top of the ground. Is this a variety problem? Cultural?, etc? Is there anything that can be done to prevent this problem?

  The length of a tulip's stem is in direct proportion to the length of the chilling process during the winter. Some varieties are more susceptible than others, but it is short chilling hours that causes short tulips. Late planting or mild winters can both be blamed. To prevent this, you can prechill the bulbs prior to planting. Normally, this isn’t required in Arkansas, but is further south.

  I still have tulip bulbs in the crisper of my refrigerator that I never planted. Is it a lost cause or can I salvage them in some way?

  Plant as soon as possible. The fact that they have at least been pre-chilled will help in their blooming. Late planting will delay bloom, because they now have to form roots and begin to grow, but you should be ok, if you can get them in the ground quickly. The biggest concern will be that late blooming, means the plants will deal with more hot weather after bloom, which can cause problems with eventual flower set for next year. Tulips tend to have that problem anyway.  If they have been chilled all fall, you could also plant some up in pots for indoor blooms.

  In a recent column you were asked about how to get tulips to rebloom. You suggested they buy new bulbs every year or two to keep them showy. I have some that have bloomed well every year for ten years now. They are in a bed in my back yard and bloom with bright red flowers for ten to 14 days. I bought my bulbs from Brecks Bulb Co. in Peoria, IL. At some point, the bulbs have to be thinned, since they multiply each year. (Nashville)

  There are bulbs available which can rebloom, but they are not as common as the varieties we grow, which often play out in a year or two. This has been a problem in the south for a long time, but you will notice now, that catalogs are claiming good repeat bloom on many new varieties. I haven’t grown any in trials to see the results, but that would be a good demonstration project.

  Six years ago I was given a potted red tulip. I kept this in the original container until it was no longer blooming, after which I planted it outside. The tulip did reappear the following year but only a few blossoms. I was told to dig it up and repot it and bring it inside. This plant has had no blossoms since the first year outside. Tiny leaves are now appearing outside. What am I supposed to do with this--leave it outside or bring it in. How can I make it re-bloom?

  Tulips are not one of our better re-bloomers. We have spectacular flowers the first year, scattered small ones the next and relatively few, if any, the next year. They are not normally brought inside once planted. Some people do dig them after they die down and store for planting the following fall, but that isn’t necessary, and won’t improve bloom. If might be time to discard these bulbs and plant new ones next fall. The only other option is to increase fertilization and allow the leaves to die down on their own outside and wait for another spring and hope for more flowers, but you would get better results starting with fresh bulbs.

  I have heard that we must pre-chill tulips in order for them to bloom in the spring. Is this a new practice? Is that why mine have only bloomed beautifully the first year, and decline after that? I have never pre-chilled before.

  In the most southern states, tulips don’t receive enough chilling hours naturally to grow tall enough to have pretty blooms. Most spring bulbs require a minimum of 12 - 16 weeks of cool weather before the stems can elongate and produce an attractive bloom stem. In Arkansas, we normally do have at least the minimum hours of chilling for good bloom. Pre-chilling is not necessary, but can be done, if you get your bulbs early and plan to wait and plant–it definitely won’t hurt anything. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help at all with consecutive years blooms.

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