Every year I tell myself I will not buy more tulips and instead will plant more alliums and daffodils. Every year I buy more tulips... and alliums and daffodils.

That is a beautiful mix of colors in your pic! I try to buy Darwin hybrids because they come back every year, but the color palette is more limited.

They have just begun to bloom in my garden, it should hit peak bloom this weekend!

I'm usually pretty good about restraining myself, but it's usually because I've spent money on annuals for pots and other impulse spring perennial buys. Then when the bulb catalogs come in I don't have much to spend.

Honestly, I hate planting bulbs. I don't know why but I do. But I do love the flowers and every spring wish I had planted more. But for some reason I always seem to be surprised by how early the bulb companies start pushing sales, and like I said by now the wallet is empty.

Your tulips are beautiful. I only put tulips in pots now, and treat them as annuals. They just don't seem to come back reliably for me - at least the blooms. I often get a bunch of tulip foliage and no blooms, so in the pots they go. I only had about 2-4 pots this year, but they've been beautiful and seemingly much longer-lasting than usual!

:)

Dee

Katob, I love your mix of colors too!

I hate to plant bulbs too, for some reason, but I love spring bulbs, lol. So, I have ordered them and planted them, but always wish I had started sooner and planted more of what comes back every year that critters don't devour. So I've stopped planting crocus. I have some but what I have seems to be in a location the critters don't want to dig them out, for some reason, and those were the first bulbs I planted decades ago and they reseed very well.

Daffodils and snowdrops seem to be carefree and come back faithfully every year. And Hyacinths to some degree, are at least not eaten by critters. And they have that unbelieveable fragrance, so you have to have them. Mine have lasted longer than I expected.

I enjoy tulips and planted some a long time ago, over twenty years. And they may have lasted a couple of seasons. So I tried ordering the typle of tulip that are perennial, but they're just not my favorite so I didn't order more. ONE tulip has come back for me every year, 'Apricot Beauty'. I'm buying more of those and I may try a few others if I can find recommendations fo some that are actually perennial. I just don't enjoy buying and planting bulbs that don't come back.

I can definitely see using them as annuals and potting them up.

Beautiful! I live in a very different climate and I’m not sure a cooling off period would help you. My tulips, which have to be chilled in the fridge, have been done for almost two months. During those two months I look forward to the time when I can order next year’s.

Haha, I think you're right. Even when the catalogs show up in August it's still a struggle to keep from ordering a bunch of things I have no space for!

I can't believe these posts are just 2-3 weeks old. Tulips and daffodils seem like forever ago and I was just thinking some of the tulips might be ready to dig- the couple days of hot weather started them yellowing and I hope they had enough time to fatten up nicely!

mazerolm were you able to get any photos of the peak bloom? I hope this doesn't sound insulting, but didn't you used to have all dandelions flowering around your tulips at the same time?

As of today there have been no new tulips or daffodils ordered. I'm proud of that but will admit that it doesn't mean No new bulbs have been ordered ;)

Oh my gosh that's fantastic! Even if only half came back it would still be a showcase, I love it.

Your property looks like a beautiful park!

Van Engelen is open for bulb ordering…

Vanengelen

Mazerolm, Your tulips are amazing and your yard is definitely a show place! Congratulations on all your hard work!!

During the summer I take those orange driveway snow sticks and break them in thirds and go around the yard and stick them in where I think I'll have room for daffodils!! It has worked out great so far because as the seasons pass the some weeds fill in here and there and some things get overgrown and I can't remember where I thought might be a good place to plant them come fall or where I've already planted some even though we mark them.

I most always order my bulbs during the summer on-line from different vendors and take the time to google each variety to find pictures in people's yards to see what they really look like; not the over colorized versions that most vendors show you.

Donna