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Tulips

sarahharmer2014sarahharmer2014 Posts: 36
in Plants
Hi all
I have dug up some tulip bulbs from last spring and stored them. If I put them into the soil this winter will they flower next spring? 

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Possibly.  :)
    Tulips can be tricky as it's difficult to replicate their ideal conditions, so they don't always return reliably. It will also depend on what variety they are. The species ones will naturalise and return, but many of the bigger, blousier ones are iffy. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    sarahharmer2014 said:
    Hi all
    I have dug up some tulip bulbs from last spring and stored them. If I put them into the soil this winter will they flower next spring? 
    welcome to the Forum
    Tulips are rarely great in the second year, ( except species types ) . 
    They're usually grown for one season then dumped. No harm in sticking them in the ground though. Just don't expect a wonderful display. 
    Devon.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Snap @Hostafan1 ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Fairygirl said:
    Snap @Hostafan1 ;)
     :D 
    Devon.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Hi @sarahharmer2014, provided your bulbs have been carefully stored (undamaged and not dried out) and you allowed the plants to die down last spring without cutting the leaves off too soon, they should have enough stored energy to bloom next year, although some species are more reliably perennial than others.  Late October/early November is the optimal time to plant tulip bulbs so I'd say it's worth seeing if they flourish.  Plant them deeply, with soil at least twice the bulb's height above them, adding a bit of grit to the planting hole if your soil is on the heavy side - don't bother if it's friable/on the sandy side.  I hope this helps. 
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • sarahharmer2014sarahharmer2014 Posts: 36
    Thank you all, they are all very helpful answers. I think what I shall do is get the new tulips, that I brought this year in the best places of the garden and have a small area for the second year tulips and see what happens.   :)
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    sarahharmer2014 said:
    Thank you all, they are all very helpful answers. I think what I shall do is get the new tulips, that I brought this year in the best places of the garden and have a small area for the second year tulips and see what happens.   :)
    perfect solution. 
    Devon.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If you're in a wet, cold area like I am,  they're unlikely to do well year on year,  regardless of what you do to the soil. If that's the case, they're often better grown in pots, with a really sharply drained medium, and kept a bit protected over winter. 
    I can only keep the species ones going, and they still need to be in raised beds with really sharp drainage, and in the best possible site. 
    Then it's just a case of keeping them safe from the r*ddy squirrels  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Even with light sandy soil, only the small species types come back reliably for me (I have Lilac Wonder and Little Beauty). It could be partly because I like my borders planted densely so there's not much soil exposed to the summer sun.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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