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Rescuing Tulip bulbs
I have finally give up on any sign of life from the first attemot at growing tulip bulbs and dug them up not sure what I did wrong but can I rescue them for next year?? They aren't sift and rotten but have broken up a but like garlic with some large and small parts which seem quite healthy can I dry these out and use them??
Cheers dave
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When and where did you plant them? And where did you buy them?
Tulip bulbs are very simple to grow if bought from reputable suppliers. You plant them in the autumn, (but I planted them once in January and still had flowers!) either in your beds and borders or in pots. Plant fairly deeply, and forget about them if they are in the ground. If they are in pots keep somewhere where they won't get waterlogged, but don't let them dry out entirely. Then wait for spring and the first exciting pointy shoots. They don't usually get undulty bothered by slugs or snails. A bit of warmth and sun will start them flowering, and you can get a range of varieties that flower from March, up to the end of May.
After they have flowered many do split into smaller bulbs as you describe.If you select the biggest bulbs you could try them in a corner somewhere, but the little ones may as well be discarded unless you have time and patience to spare. While not dead, they will take several years. to grow back to flowering size. If they were good sized bulbs to start with they may come back, though some are more reliable than others. I have had 3 and 4 year old bulbs of some flowering happily, but other vanish without being seen again.