Read on below for more advice on spring flowering bulbs and how to avoid common problems.
Tulip ‘Angelique’
Q: Last spring’s bulbs produced only foliage with no flowers. Where did I go wrong?
1. Most tulips only bloom reliably for a year or two so you may have done nothing wrong. If you want a longer lifespan from tulip bulbs try Darwin or species tulips. Darwin hybrids not only have big, showy flowers, they are known to bloom from 5 to 7 years. And unlike their more flashy hybrid cousins, species tulips are long lived and will naturalize when planted in a sunny, well-drained spot.
2. Make sure to double check the light requirements before you plant your bulbs. Tulips, for instance, need full sun. Sunlight feeds the foliage and that energy is stored in the bulb to produce next spring’s flower. If your tulips are planted in shade, the bulbs may not have stored sufficient food to make flowers.
3. Deadhead after flowering. If you don’t remove spent blooms, tulips will put all their energy into producing seed instead of storing food for next year’s flowers.
4.?Do not remove foliage after the flowers fade.?Allow the foliage to die down naturally so the bulbs will have a chance to store enough nutrients to produce next spring’s blooms.A mix of Daffodils and Narcissus from last May5. Poor blooms on daffodils may mean that the bulbs have become crowded and need division. Dig up daffodil clumps following the spring bloom time, separate individual bulbs and replant them several inches apart.
6. As daffodil bulbs age the “mother” bulb multiplies each year. The mother bulb eventually dies and it sometimes takes the offspring bulbs a few years to reach flowering size. To encourage the young bulbs to mature,?apply a granular high potash feed and liquid fertilizer each spring after flowering.
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