by Avery Beadle | Jan 11, 2024 | How-To, Hyacinths, Learn, Planting, Planting & Care, Southern States, Specialty, Tulips
Note: This article is intended only for people in warm climates (Zones 7B–8B in the South and Southwest, and most of California). In its broad outlines, the prechilling process is as easy as 1-2-3. Order your bulbs by the end of September and request delivery in...
by Maggie Badore | Jun 8, 2023 | Daffodils, How-To, Learn, Planting, Tulips
Planting tulip bulbs might seem like a daunting chore, especially if you’re looking to grow a dense or large bed of spring flowers with hundreds of blooms. But don’t worry; you don’t have to dig an individual hole for every flower you want to plant. In this article,...
by Maggie Badore | Jun 8, 2023 | About Bulbs, How-To, Learn, Planting, Planting & Care, Specialty, Tulips
Squirrels can be a major challenge in the garden, because they often view a freshly planted bed of bulbs as an all-you-can-eat buffet. Tulips are a favorite of these bushy-tailed rodents, along with crocuses and lilies. If there are squirrels in your area, it’s best...
by Maggie Badore | Mar 21, 2023 | About Bulbs, How-To, Learn, Planting, Planting & Care
There are three main approaches to getting bulbs in the ground in the fall: Poke, drill, or trench. Determining the best approach for you will depend on several different factors: You’ll want to consider how many bulbs you’re planting, your garden’s layout, and your...
by Avery Beadle | Aug 11, 2022 | Learn
You’ve got your bulbs. Now what? Now it’s time to plant. Each item page lists the planting instructions, or you can refer to the Planting and Care Instructions that are placed in every order shipped. Whether you have misplaced yours or prefer digital, you...
by Avery Beadle | May 27, 2022 | Learn
1. The Black Tulip There are no black tulips, though a few varieties come pretty close. They look black on a cloudy day, but with the sun behind them they show their true color: eggplant. We carry Queen of Night. It adds depth to bright colors. 2. Pink-Cupped...
by Avery Beadle | May 27, 2022 | Learn
When tulips start to bloom in the fields, Dutch bulb growers do their best to cut off the flowers as quickly as possible. That’s because the flowers take energy from the bulbs below, preventing them from growing to top size. A grower lets his fields bloom just long...
by Avery Beadle | Jun 7, 2021 | Learn
Bulbs 101 – The Short Course At Colorblends, we want you to have a great spring display. But let’s face it – planting is hard work. We suggest you order in small bites to learn what it takes to get bulbs planted in the fall. If you like the result in the...
by Avery Beadle | May 30, 2021 | Learn
Most bulbs do well through Zone 7a in the South. In Zones 7b–10, where soil temperatures do not cool down sufficiently in winter, and spring weather is often very warm, many bulbs perform poorly unless they are prechilled—i.e., refrigerated for 6–12 weeks prior to...
by Avery Beadle | May 29, 2021 | Learn
What is meant by “prechilling”? Most spring-flowering bulbs, including tulips and hyacinths, need a prolonged period of cold temperatures to grow and bloom properly. In much of the United States, this cold period is provided naturally by a winter spent in the ground....
by Avery Beadle | Feb 8, 2021 | Learn
Most people associate tulips with Holland, but they didn’t originate there. Some species are indigenous to Turkey, where they have been cultivated and venerated for centuries, but the majority hail from the forbidding mountainous regions of Central Asia, where they...
by Avery Beadle | Feb 4, 2021 | Learn
Contrary to popular belief, tulips are not native to the Netherlands. So why are 99% of the world’s tulip bulbs grown there? The answer comes down to wealth, weather, and work. Tulips made their way west from the mountainous regions of Central Asia, via the Silk Road,...
by Christian Curless | Jul 17, 2019 | Learn
Tulips are among the most iconic of flowers. Everyone recognizes the classic goblet shape. Artists and graphic designers make liberal use of it—abstract, literal and romanticized in drawings, paintings, wallpaper patterns and advertisements. When you make a point of...
by Christian Curless | Jun 6, 2018 | Learn
Tulips are not good perennials. They flower lavishly the first spring after planting, but in subsequent springs, flowering is generally sparse and uneven. To ensure a great display every year, many gardeners and landscape contractors treat tulips as annuals, lifting...
by gravoc | Jun 4, 2018 | Learn
It’s a Common Frustration: You buy 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...
by Avery Beadle | Apr 17, 2018 | Learn
You have a favorite tulip. The color is superb, and the shape and proportions fit your notion of the tulip ideal. You order it every year, and every spring drivers stop in front of the house to take pictures. And then one summer you check the Colorblends website and...
