GARDEN FANATIC: Time for tulips

“If you plant them, they will grow...”

— anonymous

The tulip is the perhaps the best known of all bulbs. Its brilliant spring display is enjoyed throughout the world. The flowers vary considerably in color, form and height. Tulips are spectacular when massed alone or combined beautifully with other spring flowers such as pansies and violas. Where you decide to enjoy tulips is only limited by your imagination. Rock gardens, planting beds and containers are just a few suggestions.

Tulips are officially divided into divisions, which group related flower types but are not based on botanical relationships. To simplify my tulip purchases, I generally look for the time of bloom, early and midseason bloomers are labeled as such, and then select the colors and flower shape and size I want for my garden.

Buy tulip bulbs only from a well-stocked nursery that offers varieties selected for your climate zone. Refrigerate them at 40 to 50 degrees, in paper bags for a minimum of eight weeks (don’t allow bulbs to freeze). After removal from the fridge, plant the bulbs immediately. Do not plant tulips in Laguna until after Thanksgiving and as late as February. Earliest planted will bloom in February while those planted later should flower in April.

Tulips thrive in rich soil, but most importantly, they require a soil that drains well and quickly. The addition of specially formulated granular bulb fertilizers is best for tulips. Plant bulbs at equal depths, about 4 to 6 inches under the soil. Spacing should be carefully arranged to allow root growth and good quality bulbs will always ensure uniformity in stem heights.

Water thoroughly, immediately after planting, and continue watering sparingly until the leaves emerge. Soak beds regularly after this.

You will obtain best results if the soil is mulched to keep it cool and moist (not soggy) throughout the rooting season. It is important to reapply bulb fertilizer several times during the spring growing period.

Whether growing tulips in garden beds or containers, keep them out of direct sunlight. Light shade helps to prolong blooms. Tulips have a certain impatience with continued summer watering, so in general, it is difficult to keep them more than one season. For that reason one usually discards them for new bulbs each year.

Catharine and I have been “chilling” the past several weeks. It was not a respite from our sometimes too busy lives, quite the contrary. We’ve been storing tulips in the refrigerator so they would rest properly.

After all, one must plan ahead to have tulips blooming for the spring.

See you next time.

STEVE KAWARATANI is happily married to award winning writer Catharine Cooper. He can be reached at (949) 497-8168, or e-mail to plantman2@mac.com.