In Praise of (some) tulips

James Waddick jwaddick@kc.rr.com
Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:36:07 PDT
Dear friends,
	Tulips are something of a love/hate relationship here.

	We've had some do well and persist for year while others 
either dwindle quickly or prove just way too delicious for the toothy 
gourmets here.

	Current long term success are T sylvestris. We were 
originally given this by a friend who grew it in light shade. We 
planted this in a slightly shadier spot and it soon produced a sod of 
foliage and few but lovely bright yellow flowers. We move a few to a 
much sunnier spot and the plant totally changed form into a taller 
more delicate plant with multiple large flowers on almost every stem. 
It is still a mad runner. Wouldn't be without it and squirrels seem 
to avoid it.

	A new addition, but proving very happy here is T. clusiana 
'Lady Jane'. After only a few years it seems like each bulb has 
"clumped up" and the flowers are most exuberant. It has the 
peppermint red -white buds that open into a flat 'tulip' shape of 
pure white with a small yellow center. They are putting on a great 
show right now.

	And one of the longest lasting deserves attention although it 
is far more modest in all ways. The name seems to jump around some. 
It is listed on the wiki as T pulchella, but otherwise as T. humilis 
or with a cv name (which I seem to recall, but the label is long 
gone).  The flowers are subdued deep red on the outside, but flare 
open to show a dark center( purple black), a pink intermediate zone 
and the out third red -violet.  This has been here untouched for 
years and blooms reliably each year.  When in full bloom, the flowers 
essentially hide the foliage.  Unaffected by our climate or bulb 
eaters.

	We have other tulips that stay around even some of the larger 
flowered Dutch cvs and some with variegated foliage, but none thrive 
as well as these three.

	Others seem to come and go, alas. 		Best		Jim W.
-- 
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph.    816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
	Summer 100F +


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