I think today is the day to salvage the Lady Tulips. I’ve been waiting for the past few months for the delicate greenery to come up. The bulbs are finally waking up, and I hope to have minimal disruption in the bloom cycle. I’m excited that the flood didn’t kill the bulbs. Lady Tulips don’t enjoy prolonged periods of water when dormant, let alone weeks of rain and a river of water that once was my garden.
Lady Tulips are as exquisite as their name implies. Beautiful shades of candy cane-ish pink stripes on the outer flower. The center of the tulip boasts a deep purple stamen. It is like a flower out of a dream, or perhaps the book Willie-Wonka’s Cholcolate Factory. So whimscal and delightful. Charming and elegant….how is it that my batch of bulbs survived so many years under a trash dumpster?
Literally….I found my collection of Lady Tulips under a dumpster.
When I first spotted the flower, I did a few double takes as I drove by. I truly thought it was a fake flower. I slammed on my breaks and got out of the car…..I had never seen anything like it. I found the owner of the house and payed her $20 bucks to dig by her dumpster. To this day, the dumpster still sits on top of the bulbs. Unfortunately, these beauties have long tuberous roots, and I couldn’t dig under the house. Originally, the tulips were probably planted in front of the house, before the porch was added.
I have discovered that the older the bulb is, the larger the tulip flower. My bulbs had been mowed down for years, so the bulbs were small and weak. After year one, the flowers grew twice as big as the first growing season. Last year, the Lady Tulips grew almost the size of my small hand. They lasted over a week….continuing to open during the day and close at night.
Lady Tulips will grow from bulb and from tuberous roots, creating new bulbs at the end of the roots. I have collected the seeds from the mature fllowrrs. It seems the seeds are viable, but it is still to be determined…..I like to experiment with the seeds, but last year, I just stuck them in the ground. Lady Tulips can be found through many heirloom growers. My favorite, of course, is Southern Bulb Company. For pictures of Lady Tulips, check out my Instagram page. *I’m not savy enough to upload photos on this sight, but it is my New Year’s Resolution to finish the Bulb Store, get Pay Pal (maybe) and get a computer….yuk*
It’s a good day……but any day with a shovel in hand is a pretty good day. Happy Gardening, my friends!