Bulbmeister.COM - Discussions

[dalagan]

Like most gardeners, I love to grow plants that aren’t supposed to grow in my zone. I think of Zone 8 as the borderline between tropical and temperate climates. It is too cold to grow tropical plants, but that doesn’t stop me from trying, (reemay works wonders for growing citrus and other more “tender” plants). But it doesn’t get cold enough to give the good hard chill treatment that some plants require; like Tulips.
I planted my first tulips here when I was 12. I think they were Darwin tulips, but I don’t really know. They grew and bloomed for three or four years before they finally died off. It might also have had something to do with the Bermuda grass that took over their planting bed. I probably dug them up at the wrong time of year in an attempt to get rid of the grass. Does anyone else have to deal with Bermuda Grass? It is my personal nemesis, with Bind-weed (morning glory) as a close second, but anyway…
I guess I was actually lucky that they came back at all. It might have had something to do with their location. They were planted on the south side of a short wall, which totally shades the soil for about three months of the year in the winter, but the shade shortens as the sun climbs higher in spring. This is where I have made my new tulip bed. This time I have also given it some other special treatment. Whenever nights get very cold (into the twenties is cold for me), I rake back the mulch and water the tulip bed. In the morning I rake the mulch back over the ice. I figure this gives them a much better chilling than they would usually get.
I understand that some varieties do better in the south than others. Right now I am growing Red Parade, Darwin tulips, and a peacock tulip mixture (a mixture of Greggii and Kaufmannianas?).
I read that two species that are well adapted for the south are Tulipa clusiana, from Iran and Tulipa chrysantha from India. Tulipa clusiana (or Lady Tulip) loves hot summers and alkaline soil. That sounds great for Arizona. I plan on stocking up on these next fall. I would love to develop some tulips that would flourish in the south, using these as a genetic source. Wish me luck! The only problem is that it takes so LONG for bulbs to flower from seed; 6-7 years or more. Is there any way to speed things up? Like sticking them in the fridge in July and force-growing them in the fall? It would be great if you could get two growing seasons into a year (especially when they are still small and in an easily manipulated seed flat). Any ideas? Comments?