A Beginner’s Guide to the Wonderful World of Tulips

(ARA) - It’s a common frustration. You buy 25, 100, maybe even 300 tulip bulbs, plant them in the fall and enjoy a great display in the spring. But the following spring, all you get is a smattering of flowers and maybe a bunch of leaves.

“What happened?” you ask yourself. “Aren’t tulips supposed to come back? My grandmother has tulips that have bloomed every spring for as long as she can remember? Did I do something wrong?”

According to Tim Schipper, owner of Colorblends wholesale flowerbulbs in Bridgeport, Conn., you are not to blame. “It’s in the nature of tulips,” he says. “Most are not strong perennializers. They don’t flower well the second year after planting.”

Why Tulips Stop Flowering
The tulip bulbs you buy and plant in the fall have been groomed to bloom. They were raised in sandy Dutch soil and fertilized in just the right measure.

When they bloomed in the spring (the same year you bought them), the flowers were cut off soon after they opened to keep them from drawing too much energy from the bulbs below. They continued to grow for several more weeks in famously cool Dutch weather. (“Holland is further north than Newfoundland, which is over 300 miles north of the tip of Maine,” Schipper notes.) After going dormant in early summer, the bulbs were dug and stored in a climate-controlled warehouse to mimic a long, hot, bone-dry summer in the mountains of Central Asia, which is where most tulips are native.

“All of this TLC yields a high percentage of flowering-size bulbs, including many top-size bulbs, the cream of the crop, which measure 12 centimeters in circumference and sometimes larger,” Schipper says. “A top-size bulb can’t get bigger, but it will get smaller, typically by splitting into two or more smaller bulbs.”

So you start with big, plump tulip bulbs and plant them in your garden. Do you have sand for soil? Do you monitor your soil’s fertility and apply just what’s needed when it’s needed? Do you have long cool springs in your climate the way they do in Holland? Do you cut the flowers off right after they open? The answer to most of these questions is most likely no.

“Under less-than-perfect garden conditions, when the bulbs split into smaller bulbs, those smaller bulbs are unlikely ever to grow to flowering size,” says Schipper. “Some may also rot due to heavy soil or excess moisture. And so your breathtaking tulip display dwindles to little or nothing. That said, I have a few red tulips that have bloomed every spring for 10 years. They just refuse to give up.”

Tulips That May Come Back
The good news is that some tulips are willing to bloom well for more than one spring. Their bulbs are slow to split or they split unevenly, so that one of the smaller bulbs is still big enough to flower. “Eventually, flowering becomes sparse, but you may get two or three good displays before you feel the need to replant,” Schipper says.

The best known of these so-called perennial tulips are the Darwin Hybrids. This group includes such well-known varieties as Apeldoorn, Oxford and Pink Impression. All make big bulbs and big flowers in bold colors. They bloom in the middle of the spring bulb season.

Almost as familiar are the Fosteriana tulips, which include the Emperor series (Red, White, Yellow and Orange). These tulips are more compact and earlier to bloom than the Darwin Hybrids, but their vase-shaped flowers are large and very showy.

Further down the list are the Greigii and Kaufmanniana tulips, which are generally shorter and earlier than the Darwin Hybrids and Fosterianas and often have attractively spotted leaves.

And finally there are the wild, or species, tulips. They are descendants or near-relatives of the tulips that can still be found growing in the valleys and on the rugged slopes of mountains in such places as Iran, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. They are colorful, attractive and remarkably persistent in the landscape.

Spring Beauty on the Cheap
If you can buy a tulip that may flower for three years, why would you consider one that will only flower once? The answer, Schipper says, is that some of the most beautiful tulips are not good perennials. “People plant them because at 35 to 45 cents a bulb, they won’t break the bank. Compared to other leisure activities, planting bulbs is less expensive, takes less time, is longer lasting and more beautiful. When you look at it that way, even a one-shot tulip gives a great return on investment.”

For More Information
You can learn more about tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs by visiting www.colorblends.com, or you can call toll free (888) 847-8637 to request the Colorblends 2008 wholesale catalog.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Roses Can Be Easy To Grow

NAPSI-Everyone agrees that roses are beautiful, but many also believe that roses are hard to grow. Today, nothing could be farther from the truth. New varieties give homeowners exactly what they want--brilliant roses that are a breeze to grow. Plus, roses are the only plant that will bloom repeatedly throughout the season: a sweet reward for very little effort.

With hybridizing advances, roses are more vigorous, fragrant and will bloom more frequently than ever before. If you have sunlight and water, you have what it takes to raise the perfect rose.

Sadly, the rose remains shrouded in misconception. Here are four myth busters that prove you don’t need a green thumb to successfully grow roses.

Myth 1: Amateurs need not apply. Think that only expert gardeners can grow roses, and the rest of us should throw in the trowel? Wrong! The truth is that roses are very easy to grow. The key is to start with the best varieties from your local garden center. Look for roses that have won the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) seal of approval. Only the very best new roses are named AARS winners. These are sure to flower to your heart’s content with minimal effort.

Myth 2: Roses are labor intensive. Roses have an undeserved reputation for being high maintenance and fussy. If you think growing roses means constantly spraying, grooming, feeding and pruning, think again. Experts agree that success can be as easy as choosing an award-winning rose plant and giving it regular water and six hours of sun a day.

Myth 3: All roses are disease prone. In reality, the number of disease-resistant roses has been steadily increasing, which means that it’s now possible to find gorgeous, worry-free roses that will flourish with little effort.

Myth 4: Only old roses are proven performers. Many people are sentimental and tend to stick with roses they know from their childhood memories. In truth, new varieties are more vigorous, have more blooms and are easier to care for. Not many people covet the old Edsels these days, so in the same vein, now is a good time to introduce a modern rose plant to your garden.

What’s the easiest way to conquer these myths? Look for the All-America Rose Selections’ “seal of approval,” which means you’ll be getting the best roses for your garden. Only AARS winners have passed two years of testing in 23 gardens across the U.S., representing all climate zones. These roses have proven themselves in the AARS gardens, so they’re sure to thrive in yours. For more tips and information, visit www.rose.org.

Today’s roses are easier to grow than ever.

New Plants, Less Work, Gorgeous Garden

NAPSI- Your dream garden can grow real with the help of new breeds of hydrangeas, coneflowers, roses and evergreen shrubs that let you create more beauty with less work.

Many new plants are virtually disease free and extremely low maintenance. For instance, a collection of hydrangeas provides blooms from late spring to early fall and, unlike their ancestors, will tolerate pruning at most any time. Their ability to weather wintry conditions and still produce blooms each year is another improvement.

Don't Be A Stranger To Hydrangeas

A dream garden can be beautified by Peppermint and Blue Heaven hydrangeas from Forever & Ever. They exhibit good disease resistance and respond well to sunny locations in Northern gardens and to partial shade in Southern gardens.

The Peppermint is a unique variety with gorgeous mop-headed blooms with one-of-a-kind, bicolor petals. Depending on your soil, the petals will display a brushstroke of either pink or blue in the center. Growing to approximately 24 inches tall and 36 inches wide, it is well suited for smaller gardens or patio containers.

Blue Heaven has blooms over 12 inches wide and a magnificent blue color. An adjustment in soil acidity will produce blooms in shades of pink or purple. A bit larger than Peppermint, Blue Heaven will grow to approximately 4 feet tall by 5 feet wide.

Head For Coneflowers

To complement your new hydrangeas, consider planting one of the new breeds of coneflowers--Pink Double Delight and Coconut Lime. These two beauties are tough as nails and, unlike most others, have double flowers. They are hardy, virtually disease free and tolerate drought conditions very well.

Pink Double Delight is a new variety of Echinacea that is compact and free flowering. Flowers are double upon first bloom and remain so consistently. Their stems are sturdy and numerous, creating a full appearance in containers and the garden.

For contrast, consider Coconut Lime, a double white coneflower with pale green at the center, sturdy stems and full blooms. Both these beauties will grow to approximately 26 inches high and spread about 27 inches.

The Subject Is Roses

Next, consider a new variety of a traditional favorite, the Double Knock Out Rose.

In contrast to older varieties of roses, this is a practically care-free landscape rose. It has double, fluorescent cherry red blossoms and is resistant to all the common rose diseases. It grows to about 4 feet by 4 feet and can be a great addition to your dream garden.

Everloving Evergreens

A new breed of evergreen shrub can add color to any Southern garden. Called Abelia Kaleidoscope, it lights up with bright yellow and green variegation in spring, then darkens to a deep green with a creamy, golden yellow outer edge. In summer it has abundant white flowers and in autumn, a spectacular, vibrant display of green, yellow, orange and red with brilliant red stems and abundant white flowers. The colors become muted in winter.

It will grow 5 to 6 feet tall in a sunny location.

With these beautiful new breeds, you can sit back and relax and enjoy your dream garden.

A riot of hardy hydrangeas can be an easy way to give yourself a gorgeous garden.

Locally grown food better tasting, better for you

With increasing worries about the safety of imported foods, there is an alternative, says a University of Georgia expert. Buy food grown locally.

“These foods are fresher. So, they usually have more nutrients than foods that have been transported farther and stored for several days,” said Connie Crawley, a nutrition and health specialist with the UGA Cooperative Extension.

Riper is tastier

Produce from local farmers has a chance to get more nutrients because it is often fully ripened before being harvested. This affects the flavor of the produce, too, says Julia Gaskin, a land application specialist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“Locally grown foods are closer to you, so they taste better,” Gaskin said. “They are picked when they are ripe, not when they’re green.”

Georgia farmers feel that their produce is better, Gaskin said, and that people need to know they abide by much stricter safety regulations than many overseas operations.

More variety

The shipping process doesn’t allow imported foods to have much variety, she said. Local farmers grow varieties of crops that taste good, but don’t necessarily ship well.

“There is a movement to support local farmers so they can keep their land and keep growing their crops,” Gaskin said. “People have a desire to feel a connection back to the farmer. If they know who is growing their food, there is a trust level about how it is handled.”

The United States currently has 3,700 local farmers’ markets, more than double what it had a decade ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

From the grocer or the farmer

Locally grown food is showing up in grocery stores, too. Stores are now beginning to provide sections for regionally-grown produce grown.

Community-supported agriculture is also growing in popularity. CSA farmers provide locally grown produce to consumers who buy subscriptions from them.

“We as consumers can really help farmers by asking for and choosing Georgia produce,” Gaskin said, “and put money back into our communities.

By Allie Byrd
University of Georgia

Allie Byrd is a student writer with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.