READER’S QUESTION

LAST autumn we planted small botanical tulips including T. whittallii and T. batalinii (right). They look beautiful now, but what happens later? Do we dig them up for storing, as with garden tulips? J. lee, Kent. Wild tulips are best left to grow naturally. after a few years they’ll develop dense clumps which you can then dig up, divide and re-plant as small clumps or individual bulbs. re-plant immediately after lifting, and allow the stems and leaves to die down naturally. alternatively, mark where they grow and dig up clumps of dormant bulbs in october. re- plant as individual bulbs or small groups immediately.