Flowers that go well with Tulips

by Mark E.
(Dugway, Utah)

Hello, I am brand new to the gardening world and am moving into our first house soon. I want to border our West wall with tulips and another flower... I was thinking dafadills... will this combo do well together? We live in mid-western Utah, on an Army base in the middle of the desert. Thanks for your time,

Mark

Doug says that daffodils and tulips will indeed go well together. Simply make sure the color of the tulip you pick and the daffodil you pick match well. For example, it's common to use a bright red tulip and a bright yellow daffodil to give you a bright - WOW - factor in the spring.

But a pink tulip and yellow daffodil are going to look pretty pathetic together.

How Long for Tulip Leaves to Turn Yellow

by Siddharth
(Chicago, IL)

I have a small balcony and am planting Tulips for the first time in a 30" long * 9" wide * 9" deep windowbox. Being a small balcony with limited space, i have to reuse my containers for the summer, but would like to save my bulbs for future use.

My question is- How long does it take for the leaves to turn yellow after flowering so i can plant other annuals in the same pot. Thank you for your help!

Doug say - in general, you're looking at 6-8 weeks. If you're trying to double crop on a limited balcony, I'd be tempted to simply give the tulips to somebody else to grow or toss them away. Buy new ones next fall.

And yes, if you are careful when you dig them, and the person is careful when they plant them at the same depth as they were originally - you can transplant a tulip after blooming. It may not like it, but it can survive. :-)

Potted tulips - Too much water?

by Leena
(Fresno,CA)

On Valentine's day my boyfriend bought me a pot of tulips and I didn't water it for like two days and then I gave it some water and now the tulip wouldn't close up at night as it usually do when I first got it. Will my tulips still survive?
because the petals are now getting thin and looks like it's drying. However, I add soil in the morning, but it didn't work and when I went to took a shower the night before my "SISTER" water it again! and it's looking worst. What shall I do?

Doug says your potted tulips are probably too stressed to recover. Here's how to handle them properly.

Neutered Tulips

No sooner than my tulips began to develop flowers, some animal ate them to the gound, leaves and all. This spring, the tulips produced on leaves and no flowers. I did protect them this spring, but no flowers. Have they been neutered in some way when their flowers were not allowed to mature?

Thanks.

Doug says that eating them to the ground last year removed the method of renewing the bulb and flower buds (not enough energy from the leaves). So not neutered, just not enough energy from the leaves. Grow them properly this year and see if you can get flowers next year.

Tulips being bitten off and dragged into holes in garden

by Catherine
(Albany, NY)

My tulip leaves and flowering stems are being chewed off. At first I figured rabbits or deer, but I've noticed some of the leaves sticking out of holes near the plants in the garden.... I'm trying to figure out what might be biting them off and dragging them away??? The bed is right next to the porch so it is conceivable that something is living under the porch and burrowing out into the garden for food..... but what?

Doug says he's betting on chipmunks. :-) Most other rodents - including rabbits - eat 'em on the spot but sometimes chipmunks take tulip stems back to their holes/nests.