Wordless Wednesdays: Tulip Tour

* Locals: Find these beauties at the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival in the Salt Lake Valley.

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Terrorizing the Tulips!

If you're a local, the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival is just about the prettiest place you can visit during April.

Acres and acres of brightly blooming tulips and flowering trees.

Some people make a quiet day of it... They pack a picnic lunch, relax beside a babbling brook and stroll leisurely throughout the gardens.

OR!! You can take the Fast & Furious Tulip Tour! As in renting Segways and scooting around the grounds like hell on wheels!

I barely even looked at those tulips (too busy trying to stay upright on my Segway!) But, I'm going back soon to behave myself and take some decent photos.

* Thanksgiving Point Gardens (Lehi, Utah) is located south of Salt Lake City on interstate 15. Tulip Festival runs through May 2nd. Segway Championships begin the second you slap down $20 bucks for some big fun.

** It was all good until I segwayed into a hole. But, I landed on my head, so no harm done!

The Case for Heirloom Bulbs

Powerscourt Gardens, near Dublin, Ireland. I took this photo 20 years ago and I'll bet younger generations of this same Tulip bulb are still blooming.

"Your bulb order is heading to the barn and from there it will be shipped."

I got all warm and fuzzy when I heard my bulbs were heading to the barn. I hoped there were horses in that barn. Maybe even a cow, or two.

How cool would that be if it was a real barn and my bulbs were resting on a big wooden table instead of bouncing down an automated conveyor belt and into a box?

Whatever the case, that barn comment stopped my bitchiness dead in it's tracks. I called to demand where my order was. Mountain snows are just around the corner. I'd like to dig up a little more dirt before that happens.

When my precious bulbs finally arrived I stood at the fence and proudly showed off my purchase to my neighbor. She stared at me in disbelief. How can you possibly have a Hyacinth bulb from 1863?

Then I showed them to my daughter who laughed out loud and promptly asked to borrow some money.

I walked out to the garden shaking my head. Must everything require education?

I mean... really. How could my own daughter be so dumb as to think I'd loan her money after she mocked my gardening passion?

It makes perfect sense to me why we're confused by heirloom bulbs. It's because we've grown up gardening with hybrid bulbs.

Hybrid bulbs are cheap! So, we buy a bunch of them. They don't last very long. So, we go buy some more!

Hybrid bulbs don't reproduce.
Most flower for a few years. Soon their flowering power dwindles or they stop flowering altogether.

Heirloom bulbs eagerly reproduce.
These bulbs split in two. So 10 bulbs quickly become 20 and soon you have a garden filled with pretty spring flowers. They're tough, they last forever. In the long run they're less expensive than hybrids.

Most importantly, heirloom bulbs, like heirloom tomatoes, got voted off the island by big stores simply because they weren't as profitable. Now you know how much you love a good heirloom tomato. Imagine how exciting an heirloom Hyacinth could be.

Long live the MasterCard! Here's my bulb order:

1. Grand Monarque Hyacinth, born 1863
2. Purple-Headed Garlic Allium, born 1766
3. Marjolettii Tulip, born 1894
4. Rip Van Winkle Daffodil, born 1884
5. Spanish Bluebell, born 1906
6. Gipsy Queen Hyacinth, born 1927
7. Princeps Daffodil, born 1830
8. Orange Phoenix Eggs and Bacon Daffodil, born 1731
9. Estella Rijnveld Parrot Tulip, born 1954 ~ which is probably not truly an heirloom. Unless we can call Wunx an heirloom, too. (What say you to that Wunx? :))

What's Eating the Tulip Bulbs?

At dawn, my wayward friend climbed back into bed, snuggling against me in an effort to warm his chilly hide. It annoyed me for barely a moment. I draped a blanket over his damp body and fell back asleep.

That cat, my Mother used to say, is not worth the fur he's printed on.

She's got a point... We had an agreement. Unrestricted freedom in exchange for a nightly patrol of the garden perimeter. His job is to keep the critters from eating my tulip bulbs.

Dine & Dash:
Near as I can figure I've donated at least 50 bulbs to the wildlife who determined I've got a slacker for a night watchman.

High mountain gardening tips I should have followed:

• Sharp gravel around the bulbs improves drainage and deters critters.
• Cover newly planted bulbs with wire mesh.
• Surround your tulips with daffodils and frittilaria. Critters hate the smell of these bulbs.
• And, I hate to rain on your parade but even if you do all of this and they bloom, your troubles are just beginning. I met a new lady Moose last spring who was utterly thrilled with the tulips that did survive.
  

Fall Tulip Bulbs - Tips and Tricks

This picture is proof positive I've been a lover of flowers since the dawn of the new age (my new age, that is.) I took it a lifetime ago, while I was wandering aimlessly around Ireland, wondering why my husband was leaving me, of all people.

Cool, crisp autumn days have me in the mood to plant some Tulips. This most cheerful reminder of Spring can be timed for a long, blooming show if you plant a combination of early, mid-spring and late-blooming varieties.

The larger the bulb, the larger the flower.
But, look at these photos. I don't have $1,000 to invest in bulbs and the big ones are quite expensive. I'm opting for the cheaper Target varieties to save money. It's true the tulip flowers will be smaller, but a large drift of color is easily affordable.

• Place in the ground pointed end up.
• Planting bulbs deeper in the ground helps them stand tall with no drooping.
• Tulip bulbs have an onion-like, papery skin that is almost always damaged. No worries. The broken 'skin' actually promotes faster rooting, when planted.
• Place bulbs between groups of later-blooming perennials (such as poppies, iris, and catmint.) As perennials grow tall, they will camouflage dying tulip leaves.
• Give bulbs a nutrient boost with low nitrogen fertilizer (screened cow manure is great and very inexpensive.)
• After flowering, remove faded blooms so plants put energy into strengthening the bulb, not producing seeds.
• Leave foliage in place - that helps bulbs send energy/food to roots for stronger flowering next spring.

Ever wonder why they do so poorly as cut flowers?
Tulips need sunlight to bloom and root energy, too. On average, cut tulips will only survive about 3-4 days. Cut 'em at bud stage to extend their life in the vase.

* Visit Powerscourt Gardens to see where I fell in love with tulips. (Top photo)
** If your husband is leaving you - do what I did! Go here!