Bulb to beauty
in the bin as fungus can spread quite easily once in the soil. The bulb should be firm and blemish free – inspect as you would an onion bulb before purchase.
Tulips originated from Central Asia and they will do best if you mimic their original conditions – free draining and a sunny position. If your soil is very heavy and claggy there is a risk of the bulbs going soggy so either improve the soil with some well-rotted compost or even a bit of grit at the base of each bulb will help with drainage.
Alternatively plant in containers.
Tulips are so graceful and beautiful they can elevate the most ordinary of pots to something special. I’ve seen them transform the humble galvanised steel dustbin into something really eye catching and fun. An additional benefit about planting in pots is that you can remove them from your garden when the flowers go over – they’re not the prettiest then, just a lot of green wilting foliage taking up space where other spring flowers would flourish. The flowering season is all too brief but you can extend it by choosing a mixture of early and late-flowering tulips. When harvesting, cut just as the bud begins to colour up. It will open up in the vase and you will get the longest vase life. Cut the stem at an angle at the base to maximise water uptake in the vase. By cutting down the tulip, you remove the possibility of the bulb regenerating itself so in effect are treating the bulb as an annual. That said, many of the fancier tulips tend to diminish after their first flowering anyway.
If you want bulbs to naturalise, you are better off choosing species bulbs – these are as they grew in the wild and have not been hybridised, such as Tulip clusiana.
For fancy cut flowers, choose parrot varieties of bulbs. These have extra large petals that are curved and frilly and come in rich and luscious colours. Negrita is a gorgeous purple variety, Black Parrot is a dark maroon and Green Wave a mix of pink, cream and green.
It’s also a good idea to gather up any other spring bulbs that might still be lying around in their packets and get them planted this weekend as well.