Tulip Bulbs - Don’t tip toe through these!
Landscaping your home has never been easier to do with tulip bulbs. You will enjoy gardening with these colorful beauties. Tulip bulbs as well as other types are best planted in the fall where they will establish themselves over the winter months and pop their heads out of the ground in early spring. They also need to be exposed to a period of cold weather prior to planting time. If planting your bulbs in the fall is not a possibility then place them in your refrigerator for a period of at least a month prior to planting.
Mail order catalogs are a good place to start ordering your tulips bulbs. If you do not have a catalogue many online sites will offer to send you one free.
Tulips come in varieties and colors to suit every taste and need very little care once established. The most famous ones originated in Holland but are readily available. First select a sunny site and arrange your tulip bulbs being careful to space them to give them enough room to grow. Then work the soil and make sure it is free of rocks and debris. If your soil is mostly clay and compacted, amend your soil with peat moss. This will loosen the soil and help retain moisture. Also be sure to plant your tulip bulbs in a well drained area to prevent them from rotting diseases. So next to your rainspout would not be a good location.
Tulips come in three classifications; botanical, specialty and standard.
Botanical tulips include Kaufmanniana. These are bright colored flowers with short stems that can withstand windy conditions. The flowers open almost flat to a star shape with bright inside colors. They close to a cone shaped flower at night. These are well suited for rock gardens and make a great addition to them. Next are the Flosteriana. These tulip bulbs display large oblong flowers with bright green foliage. These specimens make great displays for naturalizing. Their strong stems can also withstand windy conditions. Next is the Greigii. These tulip bulbs display bright colored flowers with chocolate brown stripes on the foliage. Their long lasting blooms open in the sum to reveal a deep colored center.
Specialty tulips include double large and long lasting flowers that look like peonies. These should be planted in a protected area to avoid rain and wind damage. They make great cut flowers. Fringed flowered tulip bulbs have fringed petal edges. They are best placed in a location to display their unique qualities. They are very elegant and have a very long flower life. Parrot tulip bulbs display large irregular fringed petals with bluish green foliage. Plant these tulips bulbs in the same manner as above.
Standard tulips come in single early tulips. These make for excellent landscaping flowers and combine easily with daffodils and hyacinths. Their well shaped flowers on sturdy stems make them a good choice for container planting. Triumph tulip bulbs also make good landscaping flowers and stand up to windy conditions. They have large angular shaped flowers with narrow leaves and come in a large range of colors for any palate of colors.
Darwin hybrid tulip bulbs are the most popular for landscaping purposes. They display large cup shaped petals of brilliant colors. Their tall and sturdy stems make them great for cut flowers and naturalizing. The single late tulip bulbs accommodate late season displays and are best used in large groupings. They also make a great cut flower.