Tulip Praestans Fusilier from a couple of years ago.
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Tulip Sarah Raven (front)
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This is what it's like if you don't put enough tulips in (or they patchily return). Just looks odd (to me)
You can see that the bulb foliage is an issue (tulips, daffs, allium). After the flower dies back, you have to decide what to do. Some people plant a bed with taller plants like wall flowers to try and disguise the dying leaves. Some people pull out the tulips and compost them - just using them for one year. Some people (like me) mostly use pots so that we can swap pots in and out and keep them out of the way during die back. If you have lots of space it might not matter.
I have found 'Fusilier' to be very long lived. There are still a few that appear which were brought from our previous garden almost thirty years ago. I now plant 'Red Hunter' for it's less orangey red but don't find it as long lasting.
Tulip Praestans Fusilier from a couple of years ago.
These look amazing (as do the others). When you swap pots over do you store these botanical ones and replant next year? I was thinking non-botanical tulips would stand more chance of coming back if you just had them in pots and dug them up and stored them each year.
I mostly keep a succession of pots by the front door. Once the pot is done I move it to a hedge in the back garden and keep them watered until the leaves have gone yellow and died back, so that all the nutrient has been re-absorbed by the bulb. You can feed them at this time. I don't lift anything. Other people do.
Agree with @Fire about planting in pots, they can go really close together, but for garden planting, where you might want bulbs to multiply, I would use the planting distances suggested on the packets.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
I mostly keep a succession of pots by the front door. Once the pot is done I move it to a hedge in the back garden and keep them watered until the leaves have gone yellow and died back, so that all the nutrient has been re-absorbed by the bulb. You can feed them at this time. I don't lift anything. Other people do.
Sounds wise. I think I might keep some pots this year dedicated to tulips. I’m hoping the ones in the trench come back as from what I have read it they have their own bed which doesn’t get watered in the summer that helps a lot to getting good repeat flowering. Also getting them 30cm deep as well as choosing the right variety; species, Darwin and triumph. I only put in Darwin and triumph so hoping I stand a good chance of repeat flowering.
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I now plant 'Red Hunter' for it's less orangey red but don't find it as long lasting.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border