Do Tulips bulbs produce year after year in the Triangle Climate?

[nclass]

The common non hybrid ones do well and come back year after year (atleast the last 3 years they have for me) But the hybrid and speciality types dont. My parrot tulips didnt come back nor did any of the fancy ones with ruffled edges. Hopefully you have better luck .

[GarnerMama]

I have about 400 tulip bulbs in my yard that have come back for 3 years. I rake the mulch back and give them a dose of bone meal every year. Like nclass said, the only ones that give me trouble are the fancy ones. Fancy things always seem to be a bit of trouble.

[bobbis]

I don't provide any special care for mine and they have come back for the last 5 years and have even multiplied.

[laloesch]

Originally Posted by North_Raleigh_Guy

I planted some Tulip bulbs this year and they came up great in March/April. They are about finished at this point. This is the first time I've planted bulbs in this area. Is the climate right for them to produce new flowers year after year or are the bulbs only good for one year of flowers in this area?

Thanks!

The problem is multifaceted. The truth is the Dutch have breed most Tulip varieties down so that they are basically annuals maybe biennials (last two years tops), then you have to go buy more and replant. Makes sense from their profit standpoint but from the homeowners position it is a literal pain in the neck to plant and plant and plant bulbs. Plus bulbs are expensive now. It used to be that you could get great deals through mail order catalogs, but now everyone is expensive. That said, you can still find the older hardier Tulip varieties but you need to do your research up front for the ones that come back year after year. Note those are getting harder to find now.

Tulips and Hyacinths are very picky when it comes to the soil they are planted in. You want high organic well drained soils and planting beds in which they get plenty of sun up until the early summer and do not have much competition from shrubs and trees. The ideal scenario is a raised planting bed with only annuals, perennials and bulbs, no trees or shrubs to compete with roots. If your planting areas / beds are compacted clay you need to do some heavy amending and tilling to improve drainage and organics otherwise you are just wasting your time planting Tulips in them. Unfortunately this is the most common condition in tract subdivisions. All compacted clay no organics, no topsoil.

To be perfectly honest i have pretty much given up on Tulips and only plant jonquil aka daffodils. They are pretty hard, tolerate over story trees and shade and come back reliably EVERY YEAR.

[poppydog]

Plus deer don't eat daffodils. They eat my grape hyacinth. I haven't had good luck with tulips, but I haven't tried very hard either. Daffodils/jonquils are easy.

[wizard-xyzzy]

No luck with tulip survival. Daffodils are easy.

Note that soil conditions vary widely across the Triangle, as do microclimates. YMMV.