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Bulbs/Tulip zone 9 77546

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Expert: Long Island Gardener - 3/14/2008


Question
I am new to gardening in Houston Texas and just ordered and received tulip bulbs in the mail. I now know I can't plant them till Nov what do I do with them? I put them in a stocking and hung them in my closet can't remember where I heard that. They are to be orange and beautiful . They don't seem to be dried out like a onion or anything and have a pale spike shaped thing on top if that is the top. Can i save them and plant in Nov/dec or am I to waste them? :( thanks

Answer
You have to find out if these Tulips were pre-chilled before you purchased them, dear.  They are going to need to grow this season if they are pre-chilled.  Otherwise they can be stored over Summer, cool, but you should determine the history of these things.  They do not keep indefinitely.

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.

Experience

Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.

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