Which tulips are perennial and what are your favourites?

[chillithyme]

As it is spring bulb planting season I was wondering what varieties of tulips and other spring bulbs do people like to grow?
Any recommendations on perennial tulips which come up year after year?


I have promised myself that I wouldn't plant any more tulips as the squirrels love them, and I have to cover pots with greenhouse shelving and bricks, but I'm enjoying planting tulips this autumn

[burnie]

I'm no flower grower, I thought they were all perennials, that's another thing I've learnt then.

[chillithyme]

Apparently some tulips come up blind the following year if left in the ground or pots, and others are more perennial and reflower, like Darwin tulips I think? That's as far as my knowledge goes, any more info. would be welcome

[veggiechicken]

My favourite tulips are the cheap ones - whatever their colour or type. End of season ones usually.
I have some layered pots that I planted 2 years ago - not sure what will come up next spring but they didn't let me down last spring.

[Guest]

I love angelique, groenland and I have a black one (the name escapes me at the moment) Unfortunately I find the cheapy single jobbies more perennial. I think you are best to treat tulips as a short lived perennial, but they are worth it IMO

Edit: I don't lift mine and if they flower they flower fine. I have even ended up with the previous owners appearing after removing and smothering competition.

[DannyK]

I think a lot of tulips are boring.

Got some Tarda at the Poundshop years ago and they flower every year.

Some of the other species look interesting.

[Kirk]

Found they eventually seem to give up and disappear, took a few years but all I had just disappeared.

This year I have made a long bed for some fruit bushes and added what should be spring bulbs. So far small daffodils and iris, and maybe something else. White crocus somewhere.

Decided that I will have a cycle from Hatfield to St Albans once a month and buy a small bag of loose ones on the market. About 20 or 30 a time. Choice depends on what is there. Next lot should have a number of alliums just to add to the somewhat unknown things already in there.

[DannyK]

Found they eventually seem to give up and disappear, took a few years but all I had just disappeared.

Tarda have come up for well over 12 years. Other species may be just as goodand they have very interesting flower shape.

[chillithyme]

Tarda look really sweet, its nice to know they are one to return year after year The Groenland look pretty too.

Last week or so I planted a wilko tulip sack that were half price, and picked up some tulip packets from lidl, I like cheap and cheerful, especially with tulips as mine eventually go missing. I will try out some Tarda and see if they like growing at mine for a few years or so

[veggiechicken]

Daffs are my favourite spring flowers, especially the little ones.

Although I grow tulips there's something about them that I don't like - I think its because they're so formal, stiff, upright, a bobble on top of stick, like a lollipop! They're not the random, free spirits that daffs are.

[chillithyme]

That made me laugh
At least the daffodil is courteous enough to show up year after year without any fuss

[muck lover]

I get seduced every year by the array of tulips on offer. I just like the simple ones. The silken sheen and pure colours Of the flowers never gets old for me. My garden squirrels also really really like tulips unfortunately so I’ve planted in pots under cover and some in the veggie bed for cutting are under a sheet of plastic and some bricks. I’m wondering if a sheet of metal mesh laid over in spring would stop the squirrels digging but still allow the tulips to grow? I’m determined to outwit these rodents. Really the problem of whether the tulips grow back in subsequent years doesn’t arise if I can’t even grow them the first year!

[Guest]

I get seduced every year by the array of tulips on offer. I just like the simple ones. The silken sheen and pure colours Of the flowers never gets old for me. My garden squirrels also really really like tulips unfortunately so I’ve planted in pots under cover and some in the veggie bed for cutting are under a sheet of plastic and some bricks. I’m wondering if a sheet of metal mesh laid over in spring would stop the squirrels digging but still allow the tulips to grow? I’m determined to outwit these rodents. Really the problem of whether the tulips grow back in subsequent years doesn’t arise if I can’t even grow them the first year!

It may be worth growing a few odd garlic bulbs in with them or watering with urine. It is a smell thing, worth a try but there are always exceptions.

[muck lover]

It may be worth growing a few odd garlic bulbs in with them or watering with urine. It is a smell thing, worth a try but there are always exceptions.

I have a reliable constant source of urine...

[Babru]

I had a big squirrel problem at my last house. What really got me was the squirrel digging up a bulb, taking a bite, throwing it away, digging up the next bulb, taking a bite, throwing it away....you get the picture. They didn't even eat them, just wasted them .

I put chicken wire over the pots to stop them digging, and found that once the plants emerged they lost interest, so I could take the wire away. Worth a shot?