It’s time to plant the tulips – at least it will be once they arrive. An email informs me that my bulb order has been shipped, but in these strange times who knows what adventures they will have before they arrive safely at my door?
To be honest, I’m not in a rush, because I haven’t quite figured out where to put them yet, but they are mostly going in pots in my front garden, which at the time of writing, is still awaiting a long-planned makeover. It’s what I’d politely refer to as ‘compact’ if it belonged to a client; as it’s my own I will freely admit you would struggle to swing a cat in it (I have often been sorely tempted – we have three and they would try the patience of St Francis himself ). I’m kidding, of course -I wouldn’t harm a hair on their little furry heads. But I would be in favour of cat community service or some other form of rehabilitation, as I know there will be digging (and worse ) when I plant my precious bulbs.
Although most spring bulbs should be planted by now, November and December are actually perfect for planting tulip bulbs, as the colder weather helps kill off viral and fungal diseases that lurk in the soil and could affect their growth and flowering.
Unlike snowdrops, crocuses and narcissi, tulips often don’t flower reliably year after year, so you can’t really count on them to come back – instead, think of them as a fabulous once off display to celebrate spring. Those that can be counted on to return – ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘Angelique’ and ‘Spring Green’ are among the few I have found that do – can be threaded in amongst herbaceous plants in borders and left to their own devices.
Given my own garden’s ‘compact’ size, I thought I’d better tot up the number I’d ordered. Obviously I did this after the fact, in case good sense got in the way. Neighbours can probably expect a bunch or two next spring. Because this very ‘bijou’ space is somehow going to accommodate more than 300 tulips.
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Plant tulip bulbs in cold weather to avoid fungal diseases
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