I've never had luck with tulips here. I think they just don't get enough cold to bloom when left in the ground each year after the initial planting. I had really good luck with daffodils that I ordered from Wayside Gardens last year. It was a collection for the South plus a few extras that I particularly liked. We planted them in Oct. and had a beautiful spring. waysidegardens.com

Most daffodils and narcissius will do well. Tulips need the cold nights. You might get a few to come back up the next year, but it's doubtful that they will bloom again unless we have an unusually cold winter. I have a few tulips that had been put in to show the house before I bought it. They were blooming then. A few bloomed the next year and about five have been sending up leaves but nothing else for the past 14 years. I hate to dig them up!!!

Howdy from Augusta (I know where Dublin is from the Dublin VA; I work at the Augusta VA).

I did well with the tulips by following the recommendation to store them in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 weeks before planting. However, unless I want to dig them up each year, I've never had luck having them come back again.

I also did well with daffodils with varieties recommended for the south. I did Ice Follies and Quail with good results.

Gail

I am south of you - I have had good luck with bluebells planted in full shade, not so good with grape hyacinth but regular hyacinths come up every year. Narccissi multiply more quickly than I can get around to thinning them out! One lot of which is always in bloom at Christmas. Will share if you want some.

I wondered about hyacinth. UK GA, are you are talking about the big headed, sweet-scented hyacinths? (If so, I will have many come back!)

thanks,
Rose

King Alfred daffodils do well - mine have been at it for 25 years. I usually plant spring bulbs the day after Thanksgiving - while everyone else is at the mall. I figure by Thanksgiving we are well past warm spells. So far anything I have planted has done fine. I've never done tulips, but am thinking about a mass container planting this year and throwing them out after they bloom. I'm thinking that being above ground in a pot will give them the winter chill they want. Definitely going to plant cheap tulips for this experiment.

Nosyrosy - yes, the big-headeded sweet smelling hyacinths grow well here.

In a neighbor's garden are red tulips that TYPICALLY rebloom EVERY year for the last twenty-the amount of time I've watched them. John Scheepers tells me they are Red Emperor Tulips. This year I'm going to try some of my own.