KLHS News February/March 2022

I am conducting an experiment. Last spring, some Tulipa Tarda plants caught my eye during a visit to Belford’s Garden Centre just outside King’s Lynn. I bought three pots, each containing three of the dwarf tulips and they duly flowered.

Now, I have read that saving tulip bulbs is a waste of time and it’s better to throw the old ones away and start afresh each year. Well, I decided to try and regrow mine the next season—waste not, want not.

I removed the tiny bulbs from their pots at the end of last season and packed those that seemed okay—and those were the majority - away in a paper bag in a drawer.

On inspecting them around new year, I was delighted to see around seven had sprouted little shoots! The bulbs were then placed in a pot of compost (see below) to see if they would continue to grow.

I thought it best to put them in a pot so that I can move them around until I’ve found the best spot for them in the garden. Apparently, they don’t like too much wet or wind.

So far, I am pleased to say they have continued to grow.

I certainly am not an expert gardener; I don’t have even slightly green fingers, but just decided to have a go. These were pretty little yellow and white tulips and deserved another chance.

Further developments in editor Elizabeth Fairweather’s “Tulip Tale” will follow in future newsletters.