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Tulips in a Mixed Border
wisehedgecrone
Posts: 118
in Plants
I saw wonderful orange tulips planted in an undulating thread through a mixed border in Kiftsgate garden this spring. It was so stunning I'd like to do this next year, so I plan to plant some tulips in my borders this autumn.
Now, I know that in subsequent years tulips flower badly or not at all.Should I dig them up after flowering and discard them, or will they flower again if I leave them in the ground? Advice is conflicting, whether for open ground or in containers, and I don't want a border full of tulip leaves and not a lot else in subsequent springs!
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95% of tulips I've left in my borders have totally rotted away after the first year, so I didn't have to do anything with them.
I've also grown them in pots and 75% have also rotted, so now I treat them as an annual purchase and renew every year...
I have tried to do this satisfactorily for years. Some come back well (the Darwin ones are good) some partially and some not . Even when they do come back, they make tending the border problematic for the rest of the year. My plan for next year is to grow them in pots in groups of 5 and sink the pots in the ground. I'll lift and store them somewhere out of the way when flowering is over so the border can get the care it needs. Even if many do turn out to be annuals, they are such jewels of the spring garden that I wouldn't be without them.
To give them the best chance of coming back, plant them deep (8" = 20cm) if you leave them in the ground.
Thank you! That's very helpful advice, all