Tulips enjoy well drained soil with a pH above 6. Therefore
wetter soils can benefit from being moulded into raised beds and the pH
can be adjusted by the addition of lime or dolomite, if necessary. The
best fertiliser is a combination of blood and bone and a little complete
fertiliser mixed into the soil prior to planting. Tulips also like a cool
Winter, so we achieve this in Australia’s milder climates by refrigerating
the bulbs (see below). Plant tulips at the end of April or early May when
the soil has cooled to below 14 degrees. Cover them with 15-20cm of soil
to insulate them from the sun’s heat and plant 7-20cm apart. Most bulbs
prefer a sunny or half shade situation. Unhealthy bulbs should be removed
to protect the main planting. While your bulbs are growing keep them free
from aphids and do not over-water during the winter. After flowering, water
them well so that they will produce nice bulbs for the following year.
These new bulbs can be lifted when the foliage yellows, and stored in a
net bag in a well ventilated area away from direct sunlight. The ideal
temperature is around 20 degrees, but in hot climates this may be hard to
achieve. Sustained very high temperatures will kill the flower developing
in the bulb. Many people ask if they can leave tulip bulbs in the ground.
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. In Tasmania, and
some parts of mainland Australia with cool summers, it appears possible
to leave bulbs unlifted for 2-3 years if the area in which they are growing
is dry during the summer. We suggest only single late and darwin hybrid
varieties for this, however we are unable to recommend this treatment.
Cut tulip flowers while they are nicely coloured buds. Arranging
tulips is a joy – because they do it themselves. A clean vase and fresh
water and in they go “Hey Presto” an elegant display. The flower buds will intensify in colour and open, and even grow
further in length.
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Tulip Bulbs in Pots
A number of our varieties are very suitable for potting (look
for potting symbol). A bulb potting mix can be purchased from most nurseries.
Bulbs in pots require more care than those grown in the garden since they
can easily dry out. For best results with potted tulips, use a large pot
or tub where the bulbs have plenty of room to grow and survive for a few
extra days if you forget to water them. Potted bulbs should be kept outside,
except during flowering when they may be taken indoors. The critical time
for care of the bulbs is after flowering. During this time the bulbs make
their growth for the next year and if the pot dries out during this period
the bulbs may not grow to flowering size.
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Growing
Tulips in warmer climates
Yes, tulips
do grow better in cooler climates but you can share the pleasure in warmer
climates too!
Imagine
a beautiful tub of colour to enjoy in late winter in Sydney or Brisbane
that will be the envy of all of your neighbours. It will probably not be
possible for you to get flowers from the bulbs in the next year but the
2-3 weeks of pleasure that you obtain from these stunning flowers will be
a good value purchase from your garden/flower/wine/lotto budget.
Just follow
these simple steps:
1. Select
your bulbs from the medium and tall growing bulbs, not the rockery types.
The safest ones to grow are those marked for warm climates.
2. Do
not take delivery of your tulips until at least March (this protects the
bulbs from the worst of your summer heat)
3. Between
mid-March and early April put the bulbs in the crisper of your fridge for
6-8 weeks until late May
4. Plant
the bulbs in a large pot/tub with up to 10 bulbs for a 20 cm pot, 20 bulbs
for a 30 cm pot, 35 bulbs for a 40 cm pot and up to 50 bulbs for a 50 cm
pot. (You can under-plant with violas and reduce the number of tulips.)
Use a good quality potting mix from your nursery.
5. Place
the tub in the coldest place in your garden, with absolutely no sun, until
the shoots are about 5 cm high.
6. Move
the tub to your preferred display position, full sun or shade, and enjoy
the spectacle of the rapid growth and flowering of the tulips.
If you
wish to try and flower the bulbs for a second year, use only bulbs marked
in our catalogue as suitable for warm areas.
Re-Using
Bulbs in Warmer Climates (Year on Year Growing)
Bulb
growers in warm climates (e.g. Perth, Brisbane, Sydney) face some difficult
issues with respect to re-using tulips for a second and subsequent years.
These
issues relate to:
- The short period
for new bulb growth following flowering
- The very long period
of senescence
- Summer heat
1.
The short period for new bulb growth following flowering
Tulips
and dutch iris differ from many bulbs in that the bulbs produced after each
growing period are new bulbs. The bulb that is planted is used up producing
the new leaves and flowers and new bulbs that were embryonic in the planted
bulb grow to replace the planted bulb. Normally, 2-3 new bulbs are produced
but the total aggregate weight produced is usually no more than double that
of the planted bulb. For refrigerated bulbs, the yield is usually no more
than the planted weight – i.e. no increase in weight at all.
The
growth of the new bulbs is mostly in the period between flowering and senescence.
To maximise this new bulb growth, the ideal conditions are cool-warm temperatures
(say 15-20 degrees C combined with optimal nutrition and moisture. In warm
climates, refrigerated bulbs often have a relatively short period between
flowering and senescence due to a too-warm climate and effects of the refrigeration.
Consequently, many of the bulbs produced will mostly not flower because
they are too small. Tulip varieties have critical bulb circumferences before
they will flower. For many varieties that circumference is about 8 cm but
can vary from 6-9 cm for common varieties.
Therefore,
problem number 1 for tulip growers in warm climates is that there may well
be a shortage of bulbs that are of flowering size following growth.
2.
The very long period of senescence
Dormant
tulips are basically an energy store which also contains embryonic leaves,
flower and bulbs for the coming crop. They are still alive and continually
use energy and lose moisture. A commercial tulip grower will normally have
the bulbs in storage from say, mid-December until mid-April – say
4 months, maybe 5. The December harvest will follow planting in mid-April
and flowering in early October (the bulbs will not have been refrigerated).
A gardener
in a warm climate will have refrigerated the bulbs and planted in, say,
mid-May. The bulbs will flower in about late July-August and die back in
late September. The following year they cannot be planted again because
of the heat until mid-May. This is a period of about 8 months. This is a
very long time to have tulips out of the ground and by this time the bulbs
will be significantly compromised.
3.
Summer heat
Tulips
need a period of about 8 weeks following lifting to develop the flower for
the new season. They do this best a temperatures of about 20 degrees. Once
the new flowers are developed they are susceptible to abortion if they are
subject to extended periods of temperature in excess of 30 degrees. For
air conditioned homes this may not constitute a problem but in many situations
it does, especially when high daytime temperatures are combined with warm
nights as well.
How
to Maximise the Chances of Second Crops
The
above problems may make it look as if it is too hard and in some situation
it probably is. Certainly, a third crop in warm climates will be extremely
difficult. However, there are ways to maximise chances based on confronting
the problems noted above.
- Variety
selection is very important if you want a second crop. On the
other hand, if you wish to grow the tulips as annuals you can use virtually
any variety.
Tulips
vary in the amount of cold they need to produce good growth. For warm climates,
it makes sense to use the varieties which need the least cold to flower
successfully. These varieties are noted in our catalogue as being suitable
for warm climates. Generally, they are members of the group of tulips known
as “single lates”.
Varieties
which need the least cold need the least time in the refrigerator and so
will most likely produce the biggest crop of bulbs and also, possibly, die
back the latest – thus minimising the time in storage.
Varieties
such as Menton, Maja and Maureen may even grow without any refrigeration
at all – although it would be advisable to give them at least a couple
of weeks.
- Storage
of the bulbs is also important. Ideally the bulbs should be at about
20 degrees, well ventilated and free of aphids. Storage at temperatures
around 25 degrees will be ok but a critical point is reached nearing
30 degrees where the new flowers will abort. The bulbs will then be
put in the refrigerator for the desired time before planting when the
soil has cooled to about 15 degrees.
- Planting
in optimal conditions also helps – provided viable bulbs with
flowers inside them are used. In warm climates the bulbs are often planted
in pots. Pots have the advantage that they can be moved and placed in
total shade in the coolest place in the garden from planting until they
emerge (say 5-10 cm high). Then they can be placed in whatever position
is desired. This is good practice in cool climates as well.
Still
too Hard?
Comfort
yourself with the fact that tulips have never been cheaper and in the last
decade the real price has fallen by about 75%. Perhaps you can now afford
this spectacular celebration of spring through annual purchase of the bulbs.
Also, annual purchase allows tulip growing even in hot climates in Australia.
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Refrigerating Bulbs
Refrigerating bulbs is a technique you can use to persuade
your tulips to flower earlier, and to achieve maximum stem length, although
it may result in a reduction in bulb yield next season. To successfully
chill your tulips only use large flowering sizes (10cm circumference and
larger) and place them in an open paper bag in the vegetable drawer of the
fridge for 6-8 weeks before planting. What you are doing is stimulating
the hormones in the bulb to convert the starch within the bulb scales to
sugars. This ready energy allows the plant to develop faster and flower
earlier. If you live in a warm climate area it will be essential to chill
your bulbs, however in cooler areas such as Tasmania and mainland areas
with cold, frosty winter nights, nature will complete this process for you.
Experiment and see what the response is in your environment. Note: Do not
refrigerate ANGELIQUE bulbs, as the bulbs from this variety will probably
be too small to flower next year.
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Storing Bulbs on
Arrival
We recommend that you unpack your order on arrival, open the
tops of the paper bags, and leave them in a well ventilated cool area. Keep
away from ripening fruit or other sources of ethylene as this may produce
flowering disorders, and try to ensure that the bulbs are not subject to
sustained periods of high temperature. Please check your order on arrival
to ensure that it is correct. If you find a discrepancy please contact
us.
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Quality Control
Quality is all important to us, as indeed it is to you.
Once our tulip crops are through the ground, our team walks the crop every
fine day for three months removing any plant that doesn’t make the grade.
Similarly, once the bulbs are harvested they are graded, sized and re-inspected
so that only the best bulbs are available for mailorder. Every effort is
made to deliver sound healthy bulbs, so please contact us if there are any
problems, as we are here to assist you. Our liability is however, limited
to the value of the bulbs delivered.
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Tulip Bulb Life Cycle
Please Click
here to go to the the graphical display of the Tulip Lifecycle
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Tulip Families and
Characteristics
Single Early Tulips – Usually early flowerers, that need
to be chilled to get height for picking. Good upright leaves make them
excellent for pots.
Triumphs – Medium height with upright leaves. Can be planted closely
(10cm). Popular cut flowers, but need to be chilled to give good length.
Great potted.
Darwin Hybrids – Multiply well, with broad leaves and medium height. Need
to be spaced wider if potted. Beautiful for massed plantings.
Rockery (Greigii & Fosteriana) – Very versatile and low growing,
often featuring patterned foliage. They can be left in the ground to naturalise.
Doubles – These varieties feature another whirl of petals and look
fabulous wherever planted.
Fringed – Always stunning with their crystallised edges.
Parrots – These tulips are bred with feathered and irregular petals
and provide an exotic and flamboyant touch.
Single Lates – These tall elegant tulips are well suited to Australia’s
warmer climate. The flowers retain their classic shape until the petals
fall.
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Growing Dutch Iris
Dutch Iris are a most rewarding bulb to grow. They prefer
temperate climates, but will tolerate warmer conditions than tulips. Soil
conditions need to be similar, however planting can begin in early April.
Plant 8cm deep and 8cm apart and immediately water well to assist root growth.
Keep well watered throughout the growing season for best results. The bulbs
can be left in place year after year and are best planted in groups, which
quickly multiply into free-flowering clumps. Iris make excellent cut flowers
and can be cut once the buds have begun to unfurl.
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Growing Narcissus
Narcissus
or daffodils can be enjoyed in all but sub-tropical and tropical climates,
and they like a well drained, moist soil that remains as cool as possible.
In warmer areas, deep planting, mulching and leaf canopy cover in summer
can be helpful in controlling excessive heat. Generally plant 15cm deep
(deeper in sandy soils) and 20cm apart. The landscaping possibilities range
from naturalising, to beds, borders and miniatures in rock gardens. Like
most bulbs they grow best in well drained soils with a pH of 6-7 and enjoy
lots of water while they are growing. Divide and spread bulbs out after
4-5 years. Daffodils don’t need a dry summer dormancy and enjoy some high
potassium, low nitrogen fertilizer in winter when the leaves are emerging.
Please leave their leaves to die back naturally so that you get maximum
bulb growth.
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