Yet another reason to love the species tulips that came up first and lasted longest in the parking strip this spring:
I just read recently that the trick to getting tulips to repeat is to plant them in an area where they receive little or no water during their dormant season. If they’re where it will get wet, it’s better to dig them up and store them until fall, so they don’t rot. I might have to go to the trouble, which I never have before, for these ones. They’re just too cool to treat as an annual like I usually do with tulips.
It’s weird to be thinking about bulbs now that the Summer Solstice has passed, but I’m trying to be good about letting my bulb foliage hang around as long as it needs to, so I’m grateful this bunch is at least not too ugly to look at amid all the surrounding greenery.
Do summer’s beauties make you forget about your little spring friends who are done for the year? Or do you miss them and think of them, even a little bit, sometimes? (I do.)
Great trick! Thank you Karen!
Those are great seed pods, that helps put up with the die back. This year I was pretty good about letting my bulbs hang around, but they didn’t look as good as that. I do still have the seed pods of an erythronium hanging around, which has been a nice surprise, I’m hoping it’ll go to seed and increase in size for next year.
I do think often of the surprise daffodil that a squirrel must have planted. That single flower gave us so much cheer during our first late-winter and spring here. Seeing it colonize handsomely into a group of flowers the following year was very cool. Have not lifted a finger for them, I love it! Will be great to see their sunny return in the grim season to come.
I’m going to plant some specie tulips this fall, the typical hybrid ones are annuals here since our winters aren’t cold enough.
I try to blend my bulb foliage in with perennials like Hostas or Daylillies. Their foliage hides the yellowing foliage of the spent bulbs.
I am a loser and hate to let the dying foliage hang around…thus I plant no spring bulbs. I enjoy them in other peoples gardens.
I have lots of narcissus from the previous owners. Lots. Everywhere we didn’t re-landscape. I let the foliage die down until Mr. Mulchmaid asks me for the fortieth time if I would PLEASE cut it off. Then I cut it off, and hope they weren’t too badly stunted from the experience. I need to find some way-more rewarding bulbs than these, though. The green and yellow is welcome in the spring, but they really aren’t very exciting. I need excitement!
I also have just one of these tulip pods and am leaving it as long as possible — can’t be bothered to dig anything up and store it, but I suppose I should re-consider if I want to be a serious flower grower – and I’m growing my first dahlia this year, too. Species tulips next year, maybe!?