Friday, August 1, 2014

OK…but which one?

You may recall that I love tulips. 

So do the deer…

This year our entire tulip bed was mowed down. We only had two or three bulbs (out of more than 100 bulbs) that managed to blossom, as they were smart enough to hide amongst the iris. You can see the row of iris on the left in this photo from a previous year. (Oh, and yeah, you can see the ugly wire I strung around the tulips to keep the pesky deer away… I neglected to put the "fence" up before we left for the winter this past year.)


We planted the tulip bed in the fall of 2011 and it provided two years of enjoyment. However, the showy tulips tend not to be true perennials. They don't do well year after year. So, I decided to buy more. But… how does one choose?


My catalog from Colorblends has 150 pages of incredible, knock-your-socks-off, breathtaking floral beauty. It was a daunting task, but I finally narrowed it down to one blend with 100 bulbs. I wish I could plant more, and have masses of tulips like I saw at Keukenhof Gardens, but as much as I think the deer are cute, I don't particularly care to feed them!

I will have my work cut out for me come November, when I thin the iris, dig up the old bulbs and replant the new. But, it will be worth it in the spring - I hope!



6 comments:

  1. I gave up on tulips years ago. This year I decided to try iris--and they ate them, too. It is so discouraging.

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    Replies
    1. Interesting… our deer left the iris alone. However, they ate the day lilies that they aren't supposed to like. But, I've heard deer will eat anything if they are hungry.

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  2. I totally gave up on tulips. My daffodils thrive, so it's daffs for me.

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    Replies
    1. Colorblends has gorgeous daffs - I am tempted to get some. It would be great to 'naturalize' our front acreage - but it would take soooo many bulbs. Maybe when I win the lottery!

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  3. I love Tulips. They return year after year for us. Many gardeners count them as annuals and just throw them away.

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    Replies
    1. From what I've read, it depends on the nature of the plant. Some will go along on their own forever, while others lose their vitality.

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