"mtostenrude" wrote in message
...

Hello, I have been looking for some information on Tulip planting. Last
summer, we pulled up all of our gardens for re-landscaping-I wasn't happy
with what the builder had had done and we changed it all to be very
lovely.
I had fully intended to replant the tulip bulbs in the fall and then got
very ill and was unable to do so. By the time I was on my feet again it
was
December and a little too cold up here in Washington-not to mention the
rain. Anyways, my question is, can I start the bulbs inside, or plant
them
and have them still bloom this year? If not, then I will plant something
different for this year so that I at least have my color in my garden, I
just really love my tulips, seeing them pop up always tells me that Spring
has arrived.

--
Misty T.

Hello Misty, welcome to rec.gardens. First and foremost, it's nice to see
a new face over the garden fence smiling back at the rest of us. Are we
speaking of Washington state or D.C.? You can start the tulips inside but
focing them will only give you some spring relief. Planting the pots into
the soil after they bloom will set them back a bit for next spring, and
there are always some tulips that return weaker despite our best efforts. If
you MUST have some tulips, now is the time to search out the forced pots at
grocery stores, Walmarts, Home Depot and Lowes as they're coming in by the
truckload. Not a wild assortment or variety, you can still get a bit of
spring satisfaction and later when they're spent, you can plug them in your
garden too.

I'd look into Dutch Garden's variety of tulips in their late summer release
of their fall catalog and see what they recommend for reliable returns and
invest in a few of those when fall tulips become available. Also invest in
some true perennial spring bulbs....Pushkinnia, Squill, Crocus, Wind
flowers, both the anemone and De Caine varieties. Aconite is a nice golden
early spring bulbil. Little alliums and narcissus in all sorts of sizes and
timings are nice and welcome springtime. Don't forget the woods hyacinths,
trout lilies, Cammasia's for late summer blue's, little Frittleria's for
hot, sunny spots where you can sit and admire their delicate flowers that
are petite. (the little checkered ones are so cute!)

The list is immense and long. But you get my drift. If you want late winter
flowers, go ahead and start some bulbs for the house if you have some. I
always put my bulbs in the fridge drawer for chilling (no fresh fruit in
there as the gas kills the blossom!) Then you can plant them after they've
given you smiles into your new gardens. They'll return a bit later next
year but most will return for you never the less. Good luck in your
endeavors and again, welcome to the newsgroup! Keep us informed to how your
garden is doing. It's always nice to hear from someone else.

madgardener, up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee zone 7, Sunset zone 36