Expert: Long Island Gardener - 6/12/2007

Question
what do you do with tulip bulbs in Florida for the following growing season. I bought some in pots, My mom wants to put them in the ground for next season, I need to know how to store them, (don't have a basement.)and what month do I put them in the ground?

Answer
Get those OUT of the pots and dust/dry them off, then put them in a paper bag and store in your refrigerator.  NO fruits and vegetables at the same time.  Turn them now and then to keep them from getting moldy.  In the fall, re-pot them, water, and put back in the fridge for 2 months.  If you have a cool basement, take them out every weekend to air out -- you don't want anaerobic bacteria eating away at the bulb tissue.  No plastic bags.

If they develop a root system -- something they cannot do in warm soil -- you can gradually warm them to room temperature (i.e., 60-65 degrees max, achieveable with a good air conditioner) in full sun and get blooms.

Believe it or not, odds are those blooms will not match the originals in size or quality, because Tulips are bred for a one-season show.  Some contain residual DNA from repeat performers in their ancestry, and will return, once or twice, but only species can be counted on to return year after year.  Emperor Tulips are a species; Darwins and French Tulips and Parrots are not.

If this sounds discouraging, believe me it is.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news.  Having to tell this to people who find these so delightful, as I do, is not fun.

May I point out however that as a Floridian, you have some wonderful choices available to you that we New Yorkers can only dream of.  Houseplants and trees and shrubs with amazing fragrance and utter beauty.  Orchids galore, in breathtaking colors and hybrids.  You are so lucky.  Tulips are truly spectacular flowers that break open after a hundred long, gray winter days.  In your tropical latitudes, however, even Tulips pale next to a well grown Cattleya.  The refrigerator/temperature dance for months just does not seem worth it when you can grow those.

Just my New York opinion.  I have lots of those, being a native New Yorker.  I can tell you all about Orchids and Tropical plants, too -- but they must grow indoors here and some can come with daunting demands -- humidity, potting medium, lighting intensity and daylength, even space.  Lucky You!