Evening star., 1946-08-25
Gardening in the'Capital Area
Fall Is Tulip Planting Time With
Gardeners Who Want Spring Borders
By w. n. Younomon

i BY W. n.
/ Fall is tulip planting time. Nov
, that the Dutch bulbs are available
many will want to renew planting.
Iof these colorful flowers. Few spring
Towering bulbs give as much colol
in the border or as much pleasur.
to the gardener as tulips. The tall.
stemmed plants topped by host o.
colors make excellent mass effects
The smaller-sized blooms are salts.
factory as cut flowers.
Tulip bulbs must be properly
grown If they are to produce large
flowers which are desired. We shoule
endeavor to buy large, fat bulbs. Ap.
parently the Dutch have the climate
and the know-how necessary to pro-
duce the desired size.
Even when we buy the largest
and finest bulbs we can hardly ex.
pect more than two years bloom
from them. Hot summers stor
growth and they soon deteriorate ir
size and quality of bloom. Many gar.
deners plant the smaller bulbs In
the garden to produce flowers TO,
cutting.
! Tulips may be depended on tc
flower even in shady gardens as
they make most of their growth
before the trees and shrubs leai
out in the spring. Light shade OF
protection from the midday and aft
ernoon sun Is beneficial in prolong-
ing the Towering season. In g
southern or western exposure the
sun Is too strong for these flowers
which thrive in a cool, moist situa
ton.
Tulip bulbs should be planted ir
the late fall--October or November.
in well-prepared but not rich soil
Briefly, this means in bed that
has been well supplied with humus
(decayed vegetable natter. If the
bulbs are to have sufficient moisture
for good growth the humus, which
acts like a sponge, is essential. Peat
moss seems to work very well, al
though 1t is quite acid and some
reports indicate that tulips need a
neutral soil.
Spacing Important.
Some gardeners space tulip bulbs
rather close, 3 or inches apart in
rows IL inches apart. This is too
close for cultivation and better re-
suits are obtained when the bulbs
are planted 6 to 8 inches apart in
rows Is to 18 inches apart. How
ever, while this facilitates cultiva-
ton 1t does not make so pleasing
mass effect. The gardener, there
lore, should decide whether he is
growing tulips for garden display
or for exhibition. Perhaps the ideal
way Is to plant the newest and
largest bulbs at the wider spacing
SO as to have some top-oualitv
flowers. The others may then be
planted more closely.
The bulbs should be planted deem
for two reasons. First, deeply
planted bulbs receive more moisture
and are down where the soil does
not warm up so early in the season,
therefore they continue growth
longer and attain larger size. Sec
ondly, deeply planted bulbs do not
split as do shallow planted ones.
While this may not seem important
to the gardener who thinks an in
crease is desirable, the experienced
gardener knows that he does not
want more bulbs, but rather desires
TO retard deterioration in size as
much as possible. Few gardeners at
tempt to plant tulip bulbs more than
six inches deep. If the soil is light
and frlable, 8 or 10 inches is desir-
able.
At planting time or later in the
fall, an application of a good COM
mercial fertilizer is beneficial. It
should however, have a compara-
lively low nitrogen content. Five
per cent is sufficient. Some tulin
growers use bone meal at the time
OF soil preparation. Such gardeners
then apply commercial fertilizer In
the spring, usually as a side dressing
When the leaves are poking through
tne ground. Two to three pounds
per square feet of bed is the normal
feeding.
Free From Disease.
Tulips are comparatively free from
dlsease and insect pests, although
the aphids like the tender Young
growth. If there are anv tulir
diseases. the aphids will spread
them. The use Of nicotine sulphate
to control them is standard practice
Applications should begin early In
the spring while the leaves are still,
small. If a striped leaf is noted. O,
the leaves are twisted and off color
1t is well to remove them and burn
the entire plant. Normally, how
ever, very few such plants will be
found so the main job is to control
aphids.
Formerly, when flower appeared
with the colors BROKEN" that is
striped or streaked, it was a sign
that the plant was infected with
mosaic and should be destroyed even
though it was attractive appearing
With the advent of the Fantasy
type tulip, however, this rule has
oeen discarded. We can only watch
Tor the of1-type flowers and discard
them as a safety measure.
Tulips may be left in the beds
after the foliage has matured and
died down. Generally, it is safer to
dlg, clean and store them in a cool
dry place. This is especially true of
poorly drained soil, as excessive
moisture causes the dormant bulbs
Plant GHooI, Wo,