“WE HAVE TO TRICK TULIPS INTO THINKING IT’S WINTER”

By SHERRIE HAKANSSON STEIGER Harris County Master Gardener, Bouquettes Garden Club, Houston Federation of Garden Clubs

I like to plant Darwin Hybrid Mid Season Tulips. They are the most reliable because they do not bloom early or late like some other varieties. I plant exactly as the book says to do, written by Sally McQueen Squire, “A Gardener’s Guide to Growing Bulbs on the Gulf Coast”. In Houston we have to trick tulips into thinking it is Winter.

My method:

• Refrigerate bulbs on November 1 for 6 to 8 weeks. I put them in pantyhose or netting on paper towels. They cannot be near apples.

• I usually plant in mid-January when I see a cold front is coming.

• Plant bulbs 4 inches deep with a bulb planter, adding 1 teaspoon of superphosphate at the bottom of the hole.

“TULIPS ARE ALWAYS BLOOMING ON MARCH 6, SO PLAN TO HAVE A PARTY!”

My favorite is ‘Gudoshnik’ with blooms that are sulphur yellow, tinted or flamed red. As they age, they turn to a more creamy color. In Russian, Gudoshnik means painter. This was also the favorite tulip of Houston’s late bulb lady, Sally McQueen Squire. As Sally said, “Tulips are always blooming on March 6 so plan to have a party!”

After they bloom, I dig them up and throw them away. I have read you should rotate tulips to a different bed each year to prevent disease. I have never had any rebloom even if one is accidentally left in a bed!

To contact Sherrie, email Brenda at lazygardenerbrenda@gmail.com. We’ll forward your email to her.