What to do with my tulip bulbs!

[Antxiara]

Hello!

I am new to gardening, especially bulbs, and I have been reading forums but I just still have questions.
I live in southern Spain, no not by the beach, near the mountains where it can freeze in winter but generally it is a dry climate. Anyways, I got these wonderful blue tulip bulbs and they have flowered fabulously about a month ago. I should also say I live in an apartment and they are growing in a pot. So they have basically died off and I planned to just leave them for next spring with some light watering here and there.

However, that plan failed when I noticed 1000s of little bugs playing in the soil. They looked like mini spiders! So out of total panic (thinking it would spred to my other pots near by) I decided to to chuck the soil and take out the bulbs and rinse them off. And now I have no idea if I should replant them again or not....How should I store them?

Also when it come to bulbs, being tulips or narcissus, when they are dorment should I even water them until spring? I worry because it is so dry and hot specially in summer....except this strange exception of a summer where they say it will never come...which personally I am happy about.

Any help would be great and I want to thank you in advance.

¡Gracias!

[rainbowgardener]

It is a little complicated trying to grow tulips (a cold winter plant) in warm climate. You are going to have to simulate winter for them.

So I would follow your plan and just plant them back and water occasionally, not too much, you don't want your bulb to rot. Then about 1 Sept, dig them up, rinse and dry and store in a paper or mesh bag in your frig until December. In December, plant them back in moist potting soil, cover the whole pot with plastic wrap and put it back in the frig. Keep it there for 4-6 weeks or until you see some sign of growth. Then bring it out and put your pot outside in the coolest part of your season, keeping the soil moist but not wet.

But all this only applies if they were actually tulips. Really there's no such thing as a blue tulip, unless it was dyed. There are some that are "violet-lilac" but even that has a slightly pink tone.

[Antxiara]

Hi!

Yes, they are called Blue Parrot Tulips that are actually deep purple in color with a hint of blue in some areas, very pretty.

Thanks for the information!!!!!

[notalotofinfo]

Newbie here. We have a large area that was full of tulips. We have planted it now with alot of bushes and mainly perennials and want to get rid of the tulips. It is hard to dig them out with out harming the other plants.

What can we do to get rid of most of these. If we cut them down before they bloom will that get rid of them.

Thanks

[rainbowgardener]

It isn't the bloom that matters as much as the leaves. That's what feeds the bulb for next year. So yes, if you keep cutting the green leaves down, the bulb will eventually die, though it might take a couple seasons.

It's a little hard for me to imagine that the tulips aren't nice mixed in with your shrubs and perennials, but to each her own.

[notalotofinfo]

Thanks for your help. They have just taken over and keep producing more bulbs. And you are right with the right program they would mix in nicely.