This morning I noticed the tulips I planted in Oct/Nov are already coming up. I was really surprised because it's only January. Should I cover them with leaves, dirt or something in case we get a freeze? Thank you all!
Don't bother with mulch or anything. If or when cold weather arrives, these just stop growing and wait for milder weather to return. Public plantings in parks or civic centers are never protected and manage quite fine.
Not exactly tulips but definitely harbingers of Spring ! No mulch is required for more cold weather for any of the bulbs. D
Thank you very much 'everyone' for your replies and help. Okie dokie. I won't be mulching my tulips. I learned something new. Thanks for showing your nice photo Dana. Imagine tulips showing up in January.
Katalina, Do not despair ! All will be well. I promise that these sorts of bulbs are experts at making it thru those conditions. Wait & see! :)) D
There's plenty of nice very tough Eucalyptus trees around here. These all endured last winters rath and look great. Cheers, LPN.
It isn't just the tulips that are popping up here in Vancouver...my hydrangea has green leaves emerging; the forsythia in the backyard, which usually blooms a bit before St. Patrick's Day, already has a a couple of opened flowers; the cowslip primulas are blooming.... I wouldn't worry about the tulips. Years ago, in the 1970's, when winters were actually colder in Vancouver, I had tulips in full bloom when we had a late snowfall. They were bent over by the wet snow, but the snow, as it usually does in Vancouver, melted quickly and the tulips emerged triumphant.
I was telling an old army buddy of mine only yesterday that if the temperatures are staying this high that I wouldn't be shocked to see tulips and daffodils in bloom by the time of the Olympic closing ceremonies: Feb 28! Certainly this winter is in stark contrast to what we endured last year and just to illustrate with an example, the Iris reticulata shown below was in full bloom this year on February 1st, last year it was March 3rd!
I have a question re bulbs -- there were 3 little packets I never did get in the ground, one was of some sort of fancy frilly tulip, another was a late spring variety of narcissus, and the other was a tiny little white-flowering thing with now dried-up looking bulbs, just was too busy last Fall... well, I planted those today hoping they would actually do something. The first two things looked alive and wanting to sprout. I gave them some liquid phosphorus-rich fertilizer and now I hope for the best. Are these likely to survive and bloom? They were in a cold area of the garage during the cold weather.
Hi I had over 100$ of tulips eaten by quirrels the year before . So I thought this year to wait for the big cold . So bought bulbs and also yellow narcissus. I kept them outdoor tmperature in the garage...but now we are having such a warm winter nearly no winter. I don't know what to do ? Can I plant them as they are or must I put them in the freezer (my fridge is to small?) Do they NEED to freeze or not can I put the in potts now and keep them in the garage.. there are so many squiirels around I am concerned they will digg them out again.? thanks for any help.
Vic, Your bulbs probably got enough chilling if they were stored in the garage. I would try planting them now, either in pots or in the ground and hope they bloom. To protect bulbs from squirrels I use mustard oil. You should be able to find this in any grocery store that serves the East-indian community. It is very cheap and non- toxic (since they use it in cooking), but the smell seems to mask the natural smell of the bulbs so the squirrels don't dig them up. It doesn't seem to harm the bulbs at all. You can either pour a bit of oil in your hands and gently rub it on each bulb or pour a couple of teaspoons into a plastic bag, toss a half dozen bulbs in and massage the bag a bit to spread the oil on the bulbs. I've used it on crocus and tulip bulbs with great results and also used it on the stems of some tulips where something was biting off the flower heads. Lucky your garage is rodent proof! I had $100 worth of bulbs eaten by a rat which got into the wooden storage cabinet in my garage. Now I keep the bulbs in a steel cabinet until they are planted.
Thank you haha my bulbs were eaten last year in the garage also out of box in newspapers. that is why I did not plant them then .. Thanks for your reply Regards will let you know how it is going This is what I had http://visualsenses.smugmug.com/Nat...m-life-to/8142207_sdn5mt#!i=531154618&k=kES63 and what I miss since then Actually have not found the same Tulip in that color again :-(..
Wow, those are fantastic photos of a beautiful tulip; I can see why you lost your heart. I don't think she is technically a "Parrot" tulip though - more likely a "Double Early" or "Double Late". Do you know her name? The closest match I found in searching was Tulipa 'Bruno Liljefors', but none of the online photos were as beautiful as yours. My favorite tulips from last year were 'Happy Generation' (red & white) and 'Chinatown' (pink & green). Both have leaves with a delicate white edge and were very long blooming. Unfortunately I couldn't find 'Happy Generation' anywhere this year. Next year I'll start looking earlier and see if I can special order it.
