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Perennials Bulbs

growing Tulip saxatilis (successfully)

katob Z6ish, NE Pa

2 years ago

Does anyone grow this species tulip well enough that it returns and thrives? I've got a few to plant this fall and the last time I tried they were great the first spring but then quickly faded away. I'd be interested in your zone, the soil, and how much sun they get in the spring and then during the summer. Thanks!

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Comments (7)

socalgal_gw Zone USDA 10b Sunset 24
2 years ago
They thrive, return and multiply in my warm climate - zone 10. Average to poor soil, plenty of sun, no summer water. They are just starting to sprout now.
katob Z6ish, NE Pa thanked socalgal_gw Zone USDA 10b Sunset 24
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
Original Author
2 years ago
Perfect! I can do average to poor soil but maybe not zone 10 too easily Lol lol. Actually im surprised it survives such warm winters.

im going to try it in the warmest corner of the garden and hope it doesnt come up too early.
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I saw the most fantastic display of red tulips in my neighborhood so I asked the owner. He said, "Oh, they did well this year." Turns out these tulips have been in that bed for years, splitting and growing again to blooming size. In zone 9 that's unheard of! I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it each year. He shared some and they were the size of the end of my little finger so I don't expect bloom this year. They do look like a Darwin type (not Appledorn with its inner star pattern). I remember Triumph tulips as being poor for naturalizing. Drats as these are my favorites. Best to try are the old red Darwins, kaufmanniana and greigii. The short small species types multiply readily.
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If you were to plant late - December, say, and select tulips that were either early or mid season, then plant them around 8" deep you may well find you can keep them for more than a year. Tulips don't mind hot summers. It helps them to set the following year's bud. They have thick skins for protection, and can pull themselves down in the soil to some extent. Modern tulips do like a soil with some compost to it, though. Another way of keeping them for longer than a season is to lift them each year - as if they were a potato crop. Clean off the leaves and any soil, then keep them in trays, labelled, in a cool and airy place, protected from mousies. (Those polystyrene grape-shipping trays can be useful for this.) If your home boasts a wine cellar - ideal! Plant out the biggest bulbs for your display and put the smaller ones in their own nursery patch to grow on before being lifted again. Many of the species tulips (Class 15) come from hot and dry places so, yes, they would probably give you a delightful display. Some of them have bold colouring while others are more subtle. And the (Class 6) Lily-flowered are seriously gorgeous.
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I think you had poor quality bulbs. I have had clusiana cynthia in my garden for a number of years. I do replant / replenish them because I also grow caladiums there in the summer. I have the species tulips on the outside edge of a circle bed. But still, I dig around and plant other things there and grow lush caladiums in deep shade all summer long. Still, mine return and are lovely. The bulbs are much larger than pea sized. I'm mooting around for something common as a shape. Everything I can think of (acron in it's pod from a live oak, wooden bead etc is variable. How about this: Make a circle with your thumb and forefinger. Overlap the thumb so the thumb joint and the top joint of the fore finger are touching. That's the approximate size of the bulbs I planted. Order from a reputable online vendor. Colorblends gives the bulb size for Lady Jane (about the same size and cynthia) as 6-7cm for Clus. Tubergen's Gem as 5-6cm these are the smallest sizes they sell. I tried my first species tulips from a big box store in a little plastic bag. They were pea sized and never grew. Here is a link that might be useful: species tulips
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woodyoak
2 years ago
My favorite 'botanical' tulips are T. turkestanica. They grow in various places in the front bed and driveway border in full sun, heavy clay soil, and whatever water Nature provides. Most people don't recognize them as tulips! They will seed around and form clumps. They have been growing there for nearly 20 years I think. I do have a few T. saxatilis too but they have never done as well as the turkestanica.

A picture from April 24 2020:

May 2 2015:
katob Z6ish, NE Pa thanked woodyoak
davidrt28 (zone 7)
2 years ago
I have had trouble keeping botanical tulips but I suspect it's because something is eating them.
katob Z6ish, NE Pa thanked davidrt28 (zone 7)
socalgal_gw Zone USDA 10b Sunset 24
2 years ago
katob Z6ish, NE Pa thanked socalgal_gw Zone USDA 10b Sunset 24
linaria_gw
2 years ago
IME most of the botanical tulips want some "food" in the soil, dry-ish summers and not too soggy soil in winter.

I think they do survive strong frost as long as they dont thaw in between.

I attended a lecture once on bulbs in their nativa habitat,

some Tulipa and Allium among them

the person emphasized that the vegetation looked poorly or straggeling but that one should bare in mind that it is very fertile soil under/ among bits and pieces of rocks.

in a real gravel bed bulbs do starve.

I did use Tulipa saxatilis Lilac wonder for a planting design in a public space.

some disappered but I think it is mainly those that get more shade from near by buildings.

we lost some Eremurus as well in the more shady spots

Others pulled trhough,

we used a gritty substrate which is quite rich

so, it is good drainage and some "calories"

warm z7

that is probably April, about 2019
katob Z6ish, NE Pa thanked linaria_gw
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
Original Author
2 years ago
Woody, I'm glad they're doing so well for you! I'm going to keep an eye out for turkestanica, it looks nice in a clump and re-seeders are always welcome in this garden. I've had tulipa clusiana for years and it's even surviving in a lawn, although the rabbits are slowly killing it off as they chew it a bit each year.

Socalgal your photo has me crossing my fingers they settle in. I love the bright centers with the violet-pink? tips. Maybe I'll put a few in the warm and dry spot as well as a few between some blue fescue clumps... I think they'll look great there even if they're less likely to survive.

linaria the garden looks great. I suspect it has something of interest in every season and suspect the drainage is pretty good considering Eremurus manages to survive anywhere... here I've never had any luck. Good soil fertility in an area where it's all rocky and scrubby actually makes a good amount of sense. I don't know how those areas got and keep the fertility, but many fritillaria and tulips seem to really need more nutrition than than you would think when looking around their native haunts.

I shall see if they return after the first year. If they do but look sickly I'll try and give them a good dose of fertilizer and see if that doesn't pep them up.

Thanks for the thoughts... and the photos as well. This has me thinking of all kinds of 'other' tulips I could kill... I mean 'try'.

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