old bluebell, tulip, daffodil foliage - to cut or not to cut?!
 

redtail wrote:
Being totally new to gardening, i need some advice.
I have several bunches of leaves in my garden from daffodils, crocuses,
tulips but mostly bluebells and i want to know whether or not i can cut
them back.
And would the foliage have to be actually cut or can i just pull the
leaves out of the ground - will doing this damage the bulbs in any way?


I know that bulbs gain energy for next years flowering from the old
leaves but how long should i leave them for? The flowerbed looks a
right mess and i have other plants i'd like to put in there as soon as
possible.

Also, am i supposed to leave tulip bulbs in the ground or dig them up
after they've flowered? My dad says dig em up, my friend says leave
em in - who's right?!

Any advice would really be appreciated :)


At this time of the year the leaves should be turning yellow (or brown).
When they do that is when you can pull them up. If you pull up any
bulbs out when you remove the old foliage just replant them where they were.

I always leave my bulbs in the ground. If I want to move some of them
to another location I did it about this time of the year. Bulbs
"stored" in the ground do much better than stored anywhere else. No
matter how well they are stored they tend to dry out when not in the
ground.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)



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old bluebell, tulip, daffodil foliage - to cut or not to cut?!
 

Being totally new to gardening, i need some advice.
I have several bunches of leaves in my garden from daffodils, crocuses, tulips but mostly bluebells and i want to know whether or not i can cut them back.
And would the foliage have to be actually cut or can i just pull the leaves out of the ground - will doing this damage the bulbs in any way?

I know that bulbs gain energy for next years flowering from the old leaves but how long should i leave them for? The flowerbed looks a right mess and i have other plants i'd like to put in there as soon as possible.

Also, am i supposed to leave tulip bulbs in the ground or dig them up after they've flowered? My dad says dig em up, my friend says leave em in - who's right?!

Any advice would really be appreciated :)

Wait till the leaves start to go brown and then cut them off. Crocus leaves can be pulled off. With tulips, whether lifted or left in the ground, I cut back to the first big leaf and leave them alone. Tulip stems can also be pulled off when they are brown. By now they can be cut off.

If your bluebells are Spanish bluebells, you may want to reduce them, in which case cut them back as soon as the flowers are over.

I am completely ruthless - if I want to plant something amongst the bulbs, then the plant is put in and the bulbs must lump it.