How about some info from a gal? My concern is  what is going to happen with them? Will I get blooms in spring? Yes, they will bloom in the spring just fine. I have mulch. Should I get some down right away? Cuz now that I think of it, I calculated the planting depth (as instructed on a tulip site) by including the 2" of mulch IÂd planned on using. Maybe thatÂs what caused this? Too close to the surface? Some folks count the mulch in the planting depth, and others don't. I think that really depends upon the plant or bulb, and the type of mulch. I would think that in your zone no more than 1" would really be needed to keep weed seed germination down and for 'looks'. I use shredded bark mulch and figure 2" equals about 1" of soil. And you say they need more cover. Does that mean normally they'd still be doing this growing under the ground? Yes And if so, does that mean they'd still have sprouted in a few weeks anyway? Yes possibly. They would however emerged somewhat later, if they they had more soil/mulch that they had to grow up through. I thought that they spent the winter setting root and then, prior to early, mid, or late spring (depending on the bulb type) THAT was when they started sending up shoots. Had the bulbs been planted earlier, they would have probably rooted in before starting to send up shoots. I have bulbs that have not yet been planted, so they have no roots, but several different cultivars have sent up green shoots from the top of the bulbs. I guess I just thought that since tulips only bloom once that this was the beginning of that growth. And if they freeze then they won't grow a 2nd time. The botanical tulips you planted are good ones for perennializing, unlike so many others. You say early sprouting bulbs is no big deal. So what happens next? Do they continue to grow until they die off from a freeze? And if so, that won't affect them blooming next year? The bloom bud is tucked safely inside of the bulb and will emerge at the right time. Trust me when I say that bulbs survive being planted in soil that freezes, and still continue to bloom just fine. In many area the soil freezes a lot deeper than one plants bulbs. Now a bulb just thrown into a freezer won't survive though. I didn't want the mulch holding in water when my ground is already mud. So long as the planting area has fairly good drainage, the bulbs should be fine. It should not hurt them to be in moist soil, with or without mulch. Often when the fall rains set in here in my area, the soil is very wet for a very long time, like maybe until it freezes for the winter. You don't sound like a dummy. You sound like an individual who invested in and planted some wonderful spring blooming bulbs. It is common for one to be concerned that they will be all right. I can tell you will enjoy your new spring blooms so much that chances are you will be adding to them in the years to come. Sue

It may make more sense just to repurchase new bulbs each year. Forced bulbs - those that are typically offered as containerized plantings - are more difficult to achieve a satisfactory rebloom from than are fresh, new bulbs, especially if they cannot go through a normal inground vernalization process. And while your climate is ideal for a lot of things, it is just not well-suited to most spring flowering bulbs......you are going to have to go to some extra work :-) Some vendors offer pre-chilled bulbs that are ready to plant in warm climates or you can go through the chilling process yourself in a refrigerator. Most spring flowering bulbs needs around 12 weeks of cold. And you need to avoid storing with any fruits or vegetables that can emit ethylene gasses that destroy flowering. Do some searching on spring flowering bulbs for warmer climates - most will have tips on best varieties as well as how to go about the chilling process.

The great majority of tulips, not just species or Darwins, but very many garden hybrids will return reliably with certain caveats. Most essentially, like bearded iris, these bulbs need to be dry over summer, with preferably NO mulch but bare soil - despite growing at depth, the bulbs need to be baked all summer. They also hate, hate, hate wet winter soil. Essentially, if you can grow them on a sunny scree bed with no competition and well drained soil_ fertility is less an issue if sufficient sunlight falls on the leaves - most tulips will return. They often don't return in pots because they split off into daughter bulbs too readily, and they don't return in the ground if they do not get a full sun and very well drained environment. Mine are in a stony soil and are dressed with gravel, maintaining a lot of summer radiation. Having said that, not all tulips are equal. The least reliable have been the very large flowered Triumph types (but not the Fosteriana) and some of the late singles seem to be less reliable than early singles. parrots, viridiflora are so-so while lily-flowered have been very reliable for me. Best of all, even in pots, are species such as batalinii, clusiana, humilis and, my top favourite although rare, the late sprengeri (easier to grow from seed than to source expensive bulbs). True, my garden is a zone 8 sandy and stony open allotment in the UK but many clumps are over 15 years old - the ones I have lost have tended to be either overshadowed or thugged out by weeds and grass.I have never fertilised them, although I do top-dress the veggie beds (I grow a lot of tulips on the ends) with a compost topping (but not very rich in nutrients) but again, I do ensure the leaves are allowed to fully die back before removing or allowing other perennials to overshadow them. Perhaps less surprising, most of the older cultivars, which were bred from 'cottage' tulips - tend to have shorter stems, smaller flowers - are more reliable than some of the very large and blowsy doubles or modern varieties. They never come back when underplanting shrubs, or (unlike narcissi) in grass.

Mine have just peaked through too...but what worries me more - the goose-berries are trying to bud out. What the Heck!?!? I will treck out soon to check the blue-berries and the wild plums..... Farmer's Almanac says they're gonna git bit......=)