New person here, ? re: tulips, daffodils

17 years ago

Hi all. I'm Gigi, also on the Roses forum and a couple others. I live in North Orange County (city of Cypress). I hope no one minds my jumping in so quick here, but hi all! I recognize a few names from other forums.

I have had a black thumb my whole life, my mom and my sister can both plant pretty rocks and end up with beautiful, flowering trees. Up until recently, I killed anything I tried to grow. So, I did tons of research and managed to keep a gift rose bush alive until I fell in love. Now, I have 42 roses and assorted other plants that are ACTUALLY GROWING and doing well. I seem to be mostly into flowers for cutting and good-smelling herbs. I may have revived my black thumb. But I need some help! And I think I may have jumped off the wrong cliff!

I absolutely LOVE tulips and daffodils (among others). In my research, I have found that it is possible to get these to grow here. Too bad about the peonys, though.

So my questions are:

1. Tulips: refrigerate 6-8 weeks, plant in well draining soil, I'm thinking around Christmas, to give them chance to grow before it gets too hot. Do they go in full sun or is 3-4 hours a day better?

2. Daffodils: Do I refrigerate? Do they go in full sun or is 3-4 hours a day better?

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Comments (8)

BecR
17 years ago
Hi Gigi. I'm in Temecula (Riverside County--- Southern CA), and have not had good luck with tulips returning (good first season only). Many daffodils will naturalize in our climate, and don't need prechilling.

Becky

Here is a link that might be useful: Sunset Gardens Bulb Info
BecR
17 years ago
Sorry the link didn't work. Google naturalizing bulbs in southern california.

-Becky
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davissue_zone9
17 years ago
The FAQ section goes into this in detail...
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
17 years ago
I refrigerate my tulips from the first of September until the first week of December when I plant them under my roses. The tulips will bloom about when the roses begin to leaf out. My roses I always prune down to 18 inches or less in January. The tulips will be died down by the end of April and are removed and dried before being stored for use next year. I have good results with all tulips 12 CM or about 4 1/2 inches in circumferance reblooming next year. I have a separate refrigerator used just for the garden. Two inches of compost is added before tulips are planted and again when tulips are removed. No fertilizer or sprays are ever required. When my tulips are in bloom (average height is 24 to 30 inches) most people do not notice the roses. Al
gw:gigi-f
17 years ago
Thanks! I didn't find anything about daffodils in the FAQ, only tulips. I know they aren't likely to rebloom next year, here they'll annuals. So I got the cheapest I could find. Same with when I looked on the Sunset Garden page. I'll go look again. Thanks again.
gardenguru1950
17 years ago
Hi gigi.

Welcome to the world of California Gardening and all its subjectiveness.

The FAQ section of this forum does offer a wonderful look at gardening with bulbs in California. More than anything, it talks of the opportunities that most newbies miss when it comes to bulbs that do best here.

Joe

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ: Bulbs in California
gw:gigi-f
17 years ago
Thanks so much Becky, Joe and Al. I printed all that information out. I might have accidently gotten tulips that might naturalize!

Gigi
deep___roots
17 years ago
You'll likely be planting your bulbs in October/November. So you have 2 or 3 months to prepare your ground. If you prepare your ground, you will be successful. Gardening is really quite simple.

By prepare your ground, I mean dig down, add compost, etc., i.e., create the most beneficial conditions for your bulbs. You may already have wonderful soil for bulbs. But most find some pre-planting preparation beneficial.

I'm with Al. Got a little refrigerator that is only used for chilling bulbs. Good luck. Tulips are hard to beat for beauty.