Preparations for a large tulip bed in Ottawa, Canada...comments, please.
Phil Culhane
large bed in our front yard. I've surfed a bit looking for information
on bulb gardens on the net, but most info is American, and I am concerned
about our climate (raise your hands anyone in the States who already has
1 1/2 feet of snow this winter...).
We want to make sure that the beds are healthy and properly set up so
that our bulbs last many years. Where do we look for input? We will be
having a gardener set up the beds late next summer, but would like to
read up all that we can to know just what we're doing.
Thanks for any guidance.
Phil
Harry Bishop
Most good 'general' gardening books cover bed preparation fairly well. As a
help, here are some suggestions from another Canadian gardener, a few general
ones first then some specifics about tulips...
Most bulbs benefit from the same sort of good bed preparation that perennials
and shrubs do. The more prep work, the better off you are. If you have really
hungry bulbs (ie lilies, crown imperial fritillaries), double dug beds with
organic matter (compost) added work the best.
Make sure that thetype of soil you have does not conflict with the needs of
the bulbs (and plants) that you are putting in. Most bulbs will not survive
water on them over the winter, therefore heavy clay, or low parts where water
collects, are not good. Our best results with bulbs have been where we mixed
the original soil with triple mix (commercial topsoil/peat/manure mixture),
and with some sand. We then top dress with compost each year. Note that these
are 'general' ideas, certain bulbs have different needs - for example lots of
allium, small species tupics, and rock garden bulbs require more sharply
drained soil, which you could get by adding fine gravel as well.
You did not mention if you were planning to plant only bulbs in this bed. My
personal suggestion is to almost never plant a bulb only bed. Most common
bulbs have foliage that dies down after they flower, and you should not clean
this up before it dies off on it's own, as these leaves are what are feeding
the bulbs for their next year's growth. Having perennials or annuals that fill
in among the dying foliage makes the difference between a bed that looks good
only for the spring, and one the looks good throughout. One exception to this
is when you want flowers spring only, for example we've planted chinodoxa
(glory of the snow) in the part of our lawn next to the street - it's covered
in blue in the spring, the leaves are not messy, and are gone by the time we
have to start mowing.
When you say a 'large bed', I'm not sure what you mean in terms of dimensions.
We have found that what sounds like an awful lot of bulbs does not go nearly
as far as you might think, especially the smaller ones. 300 tulips sounds like
a lot now, but you may find if you have a large bed you think otherwise when
actually seeing them. If you interplant with perennials and annuals, small
amounts of bulbs go further.
Now, about tulips specifically. Most of the tulips that you purchase in local
garden centers are hybridized varieties, developed with an emphasis on initial
bloom. The general tendancy with hybrid tulips is that they will decline in
vigor, number of flowers, and size within 1-2 years. A lot of people dig up
their old tulips and replant new bulbs each year, to get the best bloom. If
you want to avoid this, plant your bulbs deeper than recommended, between 6
and 10 inchese deep - you will not get quite as spectacular a bloom but they
will last as a well-blooming plant a number of years longer. Even then,
however, I would suggest using 5 years as what you should think of as their
'usable' life span.
You can also purchase species tulips, which tend in general to be shorter and
earlier blooming. These type of tulips, if they are what you want in a bulb in
terms of color/height/look, as a general rule do not have the above problem.
Most of them also prefer grittier (better drained, less rich) soil than the
normal hybrid varieties.
Actually, most bulbs do not have this problem, but in fact will increase in
bloom, size, and number over the years. With bulbs like crocus, lilies, etc,
if the bloom starts decreasing after a few years it will most likely be
because they have multiplied too much, and you should then dig them up and
separate them - the 12 you planted will be 150, and you'll have lots left to
replant and to give away to friends.
If you have you hearts set on hybrid tulips, you will have to resign yourself
to the thought of replanting them every so often. It's not necessarily a big
chore, more a matter of choice in terms of what you want.
Hope this is of help, good luck with the new bed!
Harry & Catherine Bishop (cbi...@ionline.net)
"A garden is nature's answer to those people
who think they can be perfect at something"
Dave Kliman
>We want to make sure that the beds are healthy and properly set up so
>that our bulbs last many years. Where do we look for input? We will be
>having a gardener set up the beds late next summer, but would like to
>read up all that we can to know just what we're doing.
>
>Thanks for any guidance.
If you want tulips that last for years, make sure not to get hybrid but do
get species... Hybrids only work well in the 1st year, and diminish in
quality each subsequent year. Species tulips aren't as showy as the best
hybrids, but they do come back year after year and they even multiply.
I have planted thousands of tulip bulbs that come from local shopping
centers and parks who throw out the spent flowers in late spring. If you
are willing to clean off the plants that were destined for the garbage,
you can have a bulb bonanza!
Just as a note, you might keep an eye out for where those roadside, park,
and shopping center plantings are... you'll see how they plant the bulbs.
If you are making a new garden bed, then I suggest you get _Taylors guide
to gardening_ and _Taylors guide to bulbs_... The taylor's guides are very
helpful, imho.
-Dave
--
dkl...@pb.net |He who gives up liberty for security ends up with niether.
Dave Kliman |Long Island/Zone 7| --Ben Franklin
Colette Tremblay
Commission? Maybe they can put you in touch with their horticultural
staff, which must be very knowledgeable in this matter, since they have to
deal with millions of tulip bulbs each year.
In article (Dans l'article) <49nkc1$f...@executor.comnet.ca>, Phil Culhane
<sysa...@comnet.ca> wrote (écrivait) :
> My wife and I will be purchasing some 300 bulbs next fall to plant in a
> large bed in our front yard. I've surfed a bit looking for information
> on bulb gardens on the net, but most info is American, and I am concerned
> about our climate (raise your hands anyone in the States who already has
> 1 1/2 feet of snow this winter...).
>
> We want to make sure that the beds are healthy and properly set up so
> that our bulbs last many years. Where do we look for input? We will be
> having a gardener set up the beds late next summer, but would like to
> read up all that we can to know just what we're doing.
>
> Thanks for any guidance.
>
> Phil
--
Colette Tremblay
Quebec QC Canada
Zone 4b
colt...@rsvs.ulaval.ca