I haven't much luck with getting distance out of old tulips. I'm on clay and I suspect they rot in the wet if I plant them into open ground. I planted a load in a new composted raised bed a few years ago and every last one rotted over winter. Some of mine used to come up 'blind' (non-flowering) but I suspect that was because didn't feed them as they were dying back.
To get longevity out of older bulbs I hear you should plant them very deep, feed them well and add a load of grit to the soil.
I planted some species tulips in 2019 and even these seem to have disappeared.
Lovely display! I get a lot of stuff from Lidl, Wilko and Aldi.
I have to plant tulips very, very deep because otherwise the squirrels get 'em. I have Apeldoorn and Ancilla which come back better every year, and Queen of the Night which are smaller but keep coming (probably been in 5 years now).
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Good to know @LG. Do you plant into clay or add grit and things? Do you have any other tulip secrets to share?
I'm no expert! My soil is probably clay-ey, but its predominant feature is its dry dustiness - I think it's generally seriously depleted from an abundance of conifers and other large trees all around. No, I don't add anything. I just dig as far down as I can, then a bit more - the Ancilla are probably a good foot down. Which is quite annoying as they don't look as I expected, but I can't possibly remove them now! This year they started to grow on me a bit more. They're Kauffmanniana tulips, which like species tulips are supposed to return, and they are increasing.
Apeldoorn too are keepers - I think I planted 5 bulbs a few years ago:
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Those red ones with the black and yellow centres are certainly long-lasting. My parents have had a clump of them in their garden for as long as I can remember, so they've been there for at least 50 years. Not bad going for tulips!
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I haven't much luck with getting distance out of old tulips. I'm on clay and I suspect they rot in the wet if I plant them into open ground. I planted a load in a new composted raised bed a few years ago and every last one rotted over winter. Some of mine used to come up 'blind' (non-flowering) but I suspect that was because didn't feed them as they were dying back.
To get longevity out of older bulbs I hear you should plant them very deep, feed them well and add a load of grit to the soil.
I planted some species tulips in 2019 and even these seem to have disappeared.
I've got some hardy 'species' tulips that come back every year in my heavy clay soil. They are only basic simple red ones, but they are a lovely shock of colour in spring!
Lovely display! I really rate Wilcos bulbs, nice selection at a good price and they come up year after year for me, daffs and tulips. I love them as filler in pots. Ive had some lovely mixed tulip selections from Morrisons as well - "purples" or "Pinks" and they come up every year.
Just to add as well as my Angelique and various mixtures of tulips have been coming up for 5years + without issue - plant deep and add slow release fertiliser, dead head but let the leaves die back and give them a water with some baby bio.
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I have to plant tulips very, very deep because otherwise the squirrels get 'em. I have Apeldoorn and Ancilla which come back better every year, and Queen of the Night which are smaller but keep coming (probably been in 5 years now).
I really rate Lidls and Wilko seeds. Had a few plants from Lidls and they have done well also
Apeldoorn too are keepers - I think I planted 5 bulbs a few years ago:
I've got some hardy 'species' tulips that come back every year in my heavy clay soil. They are only basic simple red ones, but they are a lovely shock of colour in spring!
Just to add as well as my Angelique and various mixtures of tulips have been coming up for 5years + without issue - plant deep and add slow release fertiliser, dead head but let the leaves die back and give them a water with some baby bio.