Expert: Long Island Gardener - 8/13/2006

Question
Zip Code 14882
Someone gave me a bag of bulbs (100) to plant in a new flower bed. I was told they were mostly dafodils and maybe some tulips. How do I tell the difference?

Answer
Diane, this is going to be one of those springs where everything is a big surprise.

Because short of cutting open the bulb - I am not even sure that would give you the answer - there is no way to tell which which is which.

Plant them all.  The tulips will last a year or two.  The daffodils, if they are healthy, will last and last and last - perhaps a lifetime if you play your cards right.

Then you can give back a bag.  Tell your friend some are daffodils.  Throw in a few tulips for kicks.  

Do you know where you're going to put these?  Perhaps you'll get lucky and find she has thrown in some species tulips, not the tall-stemmed French or splashy Rembrandt or mid-season Darwins.  The species will last longer.

If you decide to plant them in a lawn au natural, make sure you don't mow the leaves.  As you probably know, this is the surest way to prevent them from ever blooming again.  I have Chionodoxa in the front lawn and I have a lot of trouble not mowing those tiny leaves every spring as the grass begins to take off overnight.  But we get through it.

They do say the best things in life are free.  Think of this as one hundred surprises for next spring.