Suicidal Sun Lover (Chameleon) Tulips

peteontheweb

I planted Sun Lover Tulips for the first time last Autumn, since when I have watched these wonderful flowers slowly grow, from just green shoots, through looking like a bed of Brussels Sprouts on stalks to providing the most wonderful display of orange flame flower heads which would appear not to be able to make up their minds whether they are Tulips or Peonies. Then we had rain, and half of the flower heads snapped off under the weight of the water. I decided to cut my losses (literally) and cut them all to display indoors in vases. Sadly this "self decapitating" habit has continued and heads are still falling. As I hope to save the bulbs for planting again next year, is there anything that I can do to stop this hara-kiri habit happening again next year? 

Ceres

First up, I'll admit to not growing tulips on account of my garden and tulips not seeing eye to eye. However, I have grown daffodils with double flowers and have noticed other similar bulbs around my area and they all seem to droop due to the weight of the flower. It might be worth going for something a little less visually extravagant and stick to flaming orange in a single bloom rather than a crinoline of lavish petals.

SueAtoo

If you really love them, could you erect a temporary sloping "roof" over them just before they come into bud?

peteontheweb

Thanks for the solution Sue, however I reckon it would look a bit odd and would definitely defeat the object of planting these gorgeous blooms as the view would be blighted by any temporary roof structure. 

Ceres, definitely a solution, but sadly defeats the object of having such statement bloom. I was totally unprepared for such magnificence when I planted them as the picture on the packet didn't really give any idea as to the size. The trouble is, now that I've seen them, I want to plant more next year to make an even bigger "statement" - sadly I reckon I'm going to have to give up an the idea and plant something that is a little less blousey!