Northern Tulip Growers...

[theemmadilemma]

I'm struggling to find a clear answer, so looking for personal experience.

I'm in South Yorks. Can I expect my tulips that are looking beautiful this year to return next year, or do I need to hedge my bets and plant more?

They will come back if the drainage is good enough but wont be as good as this year. I would plant more.

Thank you @Geneticsbunny

I’m wondering the same thing. If they don’t come back then I won’t buy any more and I’ll stick mainly to bulbs that do come back well.

My tulips came back despite having some disease in the leaves- the leaves are variegated and shouldn't be. This is their third year planted. The bed is very dry because of a laurel hedge planted in it. I'm semi rural Dublin.

I planted a load last year. At least 100 and they looked fantastic. Left them in the ground and this year about 50 percent came up blind and the others which flowered had small pale flowers - so all the red ones this year are a washed out orange.

Mine were planted and left, and they come back ok each year.

I think species tulips, the smaller typed ones, are more likely to come back and can even spread if they are happy. Look out for ones which naturalise.
Thr bloody squirrels eat everything I blimin well plant if i don't cover with chicken wire!

My tulips always come back. I didn't realise it was a problem.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but why is location relevant? Tulips are tulips surely?

@Heroicallyfound tulips prefer cold winters and hot, dry summers. Excess rainfall in particular is a real tulip killer and that can be an issue when you go further north.

Having said that, my tulips return year after year and are multiplying fast, in spite of being grown in a garden that gets plenty of rain. The drainage is pretty good though, which probably helps, as does growing some of the more robust varieties.

Longer lasting tulips - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/tulip/longer-lasting

I grow a lot of Princess Irene and Havran (not on the list). They’re both pretty reliable in my garden.

@SparkleHard interesting, thank you!

I've got a bunch of different tulips in my garden. I put them in pots for the first year then dig up and replant in the garden in the Autumn.

I'm now on my third year and some have flowered for a third year, but not all.

Species tulips are supposed to be the most reliable. I love these anyway and my Lady Jane are doing well.

As a rule lily-flowered tulips are supposed to be better. This is definitely what I'm finding in practice.

The above mentioned Havran haven't done as well in my garden as I'd hoped. I bought them because they were supposed to be good for multiple years.

However the Purple Doll and Doll's Minuet I bought have done really well. The other variety I've had best success with is Candy Prince which is an early flowering tulip. I can't remember which way around it is, but one of the Purple Doll and Doll's Minuet are mid season and one is a slightly later flowered so there is a slight stagger on all three.

Other varieties have been a mixed bag on reliability in my garden but the majority I have got at least two years out of at least half the bulbs.

I'm in the NW.

I'm north west on heavy clay soil, north facing, stays quite damp in winter. I'm experimenting with tulips that are supposed to be reliably perennial, but hardly any have come back this year.

I find the big blowsy ones seem to be one year wonder.

I'm going to try the more reliable ones in a more well drained bit of the garden for next year....

But mostly I put them in pots and treat them as annuals. Shame as I love them and spend a fortune on them and would love them to come back.

I have had success in my front border, but it's raised and well drained.

North Wales here, lots of rain! My tulips seem to come back year after year and are actually multiplying. They may be a little smaller, but that’s actually better for me because we also get lots of wind. Cannot remember many actual varieties, but definitely some ballerina, some very blousy chameleons and a lot of parrot varieties.

West Yorkshire in area with heavy rainfall..
I have tulips in my garden that were planted 20 years ago. They are fewer in number than they were 10 years ago but still producing flowers every year.

I grew up in Yorkshire on cold wet clay soil, and the only tulips that would return were the big blowsy Red Emperor tulips with black centres. They were very reliable.