Replace them. Most tulips have a very short lifespan, 2-4 years and some only one, in MN. Some varieties will bloom for decades. Yellow and Red Emperor, and Menton do VERY well for longer periods as do some of the "wild" tulip varieties.

-Marie

I read once, in a tulip grower's catalog, that they dug up their tulips every summer and replanted them in the fall in order to keep them in good shape. I'm not sure what it does for them and anyway, that's more work then I want to do (otherwise I'd be growing glads and cannas and calla lilies) but it might be interesting to experiment and dig up part of them then replant in the fall and compare what those did to the ones that weren't dug up.

I belive the Darwin's are supposed to last for many years, so long as you don't cut the leaves off after they are done blooming.. at least not for a while.

That makes sense, except for the fact that they were brand new bulbs just received from Brecks and planted in the fall. Does that really happen to new bulbs?

Do you know it they are late blooming tulips? I have some that are May blooming.

Well they are either late blooming (I have some just barely coming in amongst my insane exploding ones right now) or... you know they LOVE bone meal, did she plant them with either bone meal or a bulb food of some sort when she put them in? Were the very small bulbs? If they were particularly small they may not be mature enough this year to bloom and should do so next spring. Again, scrape a little bone meal or bulb food around them before winter and they *should* take off next spring.

-Marie