Expert: Long Island Gardener - 7/14/2008

Question
I'll be planting my first tulip bulbs this fall and would like to be able to supply myself with cut flowers. My plan is to plant a couple hundred bulbs so that when I want a few vases full of the beauties it won't detract from the visual outside.
How do I know it's safe to cut the flowers for inside display and not hurt the chances of the bulb blooming next spring?
Thank you for any information you can give this rookie.

Answer
Capital idea, Kathleen.

'Is it safe?'  That's a problem.  It's never safe.

I know what you're thinking.  You're looking at how much it will cost to buy those Tulips, and maybe you've even also figured how much work it is to put them in the ground.  This is nothing to sniff at.  It's a major expense to have someone else do it, and it's almost impossible to do it yourself when you're looking at this kind of volume.

Still, it's not safe.

Assume the odds are almost NEVER going to give you a more than 2 years of blooms whether you cut them or not.

You tilt the odds A LITTLE in your favor by keeping foliage on the Bulbs instead of the Tulips.  That means you want to make sure you have LONG stemmed varieties.  Take the Bulb height very seriously.  Don't go for anything that is shorter than 18 inches.  This eliminates most Tulips, by the way.

If you want to grow them in pots, shorter stems are best.  But these Tulips have no better chance at repeat performances than the ones in the ground.

Emperor Tulips and the varities sold as 'Perennial Tulips' have better genes and higher odds of blooming more than 2 or 3 seasons.  You will still however be looking at dead and dieing foliage in July.  Lots of them come back, but they don't bloom.  Lots bloom, but the flowers are 2/3rds of the size they were the first year.  Or smaller.

Daffodils are more reliable.  But they are different flowers.  There is nothing like a vase of Parrot Tulips in the kitchen.  Even if they only bloom 1 year, 2 years at the most.

You may not hear that from other people.  But you'll hear it from me.  Do I like it?  No. Does it stop me from breaking the bank every single Fall?  No.  Do I order too many every year?  Yep.

To ease the pain of pricing, Van Engelen has an on line Bulb sale at the end of every season.  Non-Tulips go on sale first.  Leftover Tulips go on sale in late November, around Thanksgiving, just days before the ground freezes here.  Do I order anyway?  Always.

Go for it.  You'll be glad you did.  And cut them like there's no tomorrow.  Life is too short.  Who knows what the future holds?

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER