Tulips

I planted tulips last year. My yellow ones appeared first and now the red ones have appeared however the yellow ones look like they are now past it. What is the best way to deal with these? Should I be cutting them off at the base or just leave them?

 

Remove the spent flowering stems, but keep the leaves which are now building up the bulb for next year.

 

I find planting Naturalized tulips last year to year much longer than the typical pretty tall non-naturalized ones. and yes always leave the green on any bulb, just dead head it.

 

Yes same here I have been out dead-heading orange ones this morning.

 

Thanks, so I cut them at the top of the stem as long as it’s green. Then basically just chop off any non green bits over time ?

 

You want to nip it off behind the bit that's swelling to form the seeds. That way it puts its energy back into the bulb, instead of into making seeds.

I guess whether you take off the whole flower stem is just a matter of preference. It probably looks tidier, but it's harder work. You must leave the leaves though, until they start to go yellow, because they will be feeding the bulb up for next year.

 

I have hosta's planted among my many daffodils. And I dead head the daffs in due course leaving the green stand, as the hosta come up, then the daff leaves yellow in time, all I have to do is shove the daffodil leaves under the fresh hosta. You mentioned "Tidier" that is how I tidy up.

and in some larger beds where the daffs grow abundantly, they lay down when done and smother weeds. But you know I have over 500 thousand daffs.

 

Hells bells @redstar ...... how many daffs ???? You must have a fabulous display come Spring. Agree about the deadheading. Also recall people on another forum recommending a feed of Tomorite ( or similar) after flowering to help the bulbs for the following year ? Maybe that was just those grown in containers tho - can't quite remember. Doesn't sound as if you need to worry about that tho

 

Yep, going on right now, tons blooming. and I select timely ones, meaning something fresh blooming all the way to end May. Then the Alliums start. Way first of course are the hundreds of snowdrops, and short blue guys, and short white guys --forgot those names. No containers here, don't worry about feeding. We do rotate about to lift and separate, and replant.

 

@Philippa

 

Absolutely beautiful @redstar. I've got a few Snowdrops here but most of my white "jobs" are the wild garlic. "short blue guys " - if bulbs are they what we call Squills here - loads of them which attract various insects. "short white guys " - Wood Anemones ? Mine have just about finished flowering now. My various Tulips are beginning to fade now - a good display but not helped by the lack of rain - unusual for this area but the patterns are changing. Are you also finding extremes in the weather there ? Hope you have a good summer anyway.

 

Yes, they are called Squills, white and blue. I also have white and blue Anemones. Also have a rare Anemone that is a purple pink with red tinged leaves, it seems to roam rather than expand, but taken many years to go 3 feet. Still see my Anemones.

 

There are loads of different Anemones aren't there but apart from the Wood anemones, the only other one I'm really familiar with nowadays is the A japonica which can reach to 3 feet quite quickly. A lot of gardeners here find the basic pink flowered one can get out of hand rapidly but the one I have ,"White Swan", is far better behaved IME. This one is just coming into flower here now.
Your site sounds ideal for Bluebells too. Issues here because the Spanish bluebell is taking over from the native British one in many places.

 

Anemone blanda is nice small blue anemone and is more tolerant of drier conditions than A nemorosa. Both will spread if happy with conditions and there are coloured selections of both.
A nemorosa Robinsoniana a pale blue form.


A blanda


A nemorosa


A japonica is basically a thug and mine have been exiled to the poorer soils.