I need to begin this by saying Georgia is not tulip country. It does not get nearly cold enough for long enough to provide optimum growing conditions for these bulbs. We have to treat them as annuals – plant in the fall, enjoy in the spring and dig up the bulbs in the summer.
If you leave them in the ground, they will sometimes rebloom with scraggly, sparse flowers, mere shadows of their former selves. It is an embarrassment to both the plant and the gardener. So, mostly we just treat them as annuals. The question begs to be asked: Is planting tulips in Georgia an exercise in futility or an expression of hopeful joy? I suppose the answer depends on your budget, energy level and personality.
Other bulbs, such as iris and daffodils do well here. So, why not just plant them? Because…..tulips are astonishingly beautiful and there are so many different kinds to choose from and because they are going to look so amazing along the small brick wall at street and people are going to gasp with pleasure when they see my pink and white tulips as background for the light and dark pink pansies. Can’t you just SEE it?
I do have to admit that after spending days prepping the soil and planting the tulip bulbs, it’s a little disappointing to see nothing but bare ground. But I look at it like a blank canvas that I have now prepped and am ready for Mother Nature to bring into bloom. I can’t wait.
Tulips have always fascinated people and were probably one of the first crops cultivated simply because they were beautiful. Tulip designs are found on pottery jars dating back 2200 – 1600 BC.
Holland, of course, is the tulip capitol of the world. During the mid 1600s Holland experienced what is now known as “tulip mania” when the price per pound for tulip bulbs was sometimes more than for precious metals. It was during this time that breeders began producing the myriad of shapes and forms that still fascinate gardeners today. We can still get the feathered, striped, marbled, doubled and tripled blossoms that were developed during this time period.
I don’t usually indulge in planting tulips. I’m too pragmatic and generally save my gardening hours and dollars for things that will give me more bang for my buck and back. But this year, I needed a distraction from politics, storms, climate change and endangered plants. I could think of no better way than by participating in a little tulipmania of my own. I promise, I’ll send pictures next spring!