Questions and Answers About Bulbs 
Tulips 
Q. How long can tulips be expected to last? 
A. Two or three years from the original bulbs. 
Leave them in the ground as long as they 
bloom satisfactorily. When they must be dug, 
young bulblets may be replanted in rows in 
the vegetable or cutting garden and grown on 
for a year or two until ready for the border. 
Though the original tulip bulbs do not last 
for years like daffodils, they are so gloriously 
beautiful through their two or three years of 
perfect bloom, that most gardeners consider 
them an excellent investment. 
Q. What can I do to avoid the ugly appearance 
of the dying foliage in beds and borders?— 
A. Set in well-grown annuals between bulb 
plantings or plant perennials nearby to come 
on and hide the daffodil foliage. 
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Q. Should faded flowers be removed? 
A. Forming seeds undoubtedly takes some 
strength from the bulb. In large plantings 
however it is often impossible to remove all 
faded blossoms. If ground is kept well 
fertilized, cultivated and watered, plants will 
sustain no real injury from forming seeds. 
Lilies 
Q. When should they be planted? 
A. As soon as available from the grower— 
before October 15th in the Northeastern 
United States. L. candidum must be planted 
in August or early September to permit the 
necessary autumn growth to develop. 
Q. When and how should they be divided? 
A. As soon as the top dies down or in Sep¬ 
tember. Only those parts of the bulbs which 
divide easily should be removed. Do not 
tear the portions apart. 
Q. When should the flowers be cut? 
A. Early in the morning while the dew is on 
them and before the heat of the sun has 
struck the petals. Harden for several hours 
in a cool dark place with the stems deep in 
water. 
Q. Should tulip beds be mulched? 
A. No, unless planted very late or planted 
among other flowers which need winter 
protection. Covering invites injury by field 
mice and induces premature growth in fall 
and spring which may result in frost injury. 
Q. When should they be taken up? 
A. If necessary to lift because of failure to bloom 
or for other reasons, dig the bulbs after the 
foliage has fully ripened but while the stem 
still adheres firmly to the bulb. If you wait 
until the matured foliage sloughs off, you may 
find it difficult to locate all the bulbs. 
Q. What sorts are best for growing indoors? 
A. Single and Double Earlies; also botanicals. 
Q. Why does foliage spot and die? 
A. "Fire” disease. Destroy infected plants! 
Plant in new ground, avoiding manure and 
keeping water from foliage. 
Daffodils 
Q. How often should they be taken up and 
replanted? 
A. Only when the bulbs become so crowded 
that plants fail to bloom. 
Q. What types are best for naturlizing? 
A. Triandrus and Cyclamineus hybrids, Species 
and Jonquils, Poetaz and Poeticus,- also Queen 
of the North and manyTrumpets and Short Cups. 
Q. Why do white varieties "burn"? 
A. Because they are subjected to too much sun¬ 
light. Plant these in semi-shade. 
Q. How soon can foliage be cut?— 
A. Not until it has completely ripened. Water 
plants if necessary after bloom to keep foliage 
green as long as possible. This year’s healthy 
foliage means next year’s bloom. 
Q. Why is foliage sometimes twisted and ab¬ 
normal? 
A. Nematode disease. Dig up the affected bulbs 
and burn at once, together with foliage. 
Q. How long a blooming period can be had 
from daffodils? 
A. At least six weeks, if early, medium and late 
varieties are selected. 
Q. How long will a single variety continue in 
good condition? 
A. Very early varieties sometimes remain in 
perfect blooming condition for three weeks 
or more. Croesus and Helios are especially 
long lasting, in the early spring garden. 
Q. What colors beside yellow are available in 
daffodils? 
A. White, cream, primrose, deep yellow, gold, 
orange, white and cream, white and yellow, 
white and orange, orange and yellow, white 
and pink. 
Hyacinths 
Q. Do biggest bulbs give best results? 
A. Not necessarily. Weight of the bulbs and 
solidity are more important. Double nose 
bulbs give two flowers the first season, but 
otherwise are not superior. 
Q. Can they be grown without soil? 
A. Yes, many varieties can be grown indoors, 
in water, pebbles or bulb fibre. 
Q. What is the difference between French 
Roman and Dutch Roman hyacinths? 
A. French Roman hyacinths are more delicate 
with graceful stems and blooms more loosely 
placed. They are for indoor forcing. The 
Dutch Romans are really only smaller bulbs 
of the standard Dutch varieties. 
Q. What are "prepared" hyacinths? 
A. Bulbs that have been so treated in curing 
that the development of the flower buds is 
hastened. Therefore, they bloom sooner 
when forced. 
Q. What shall I do with the bulblets, which 
form on the base of the stem in some varieties? 
A. Remove each fall and use to increase stock if 
desired. If left on the stem, these will sap 
the strength of the parent bulb. 
Q. Should faded blossoms be removed? 
A. Yes, at once, to keep the plants from ex¬ 
hausting their strength in forming seeds. 
" ,J 
Q. Which lilies can I cut without-injury to the 
plants? And how? 
A. L. candidum, L. regale and L. Testaceum. 
Cut only every other year and leave one-third 
of each stem intact. 
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Q. What types of lilies are injured by cutting? 
A. Those with little foliage near the base of the 
stem like L. superbum and L. auratum. 
Q. 
A. 
Should lily stems be cut back after bloom is 
over? ' j 
ij 
Never. Permit foliage to mature fully , to 
give strength for next year’s bloom. „ 
Q. Do lilies prefer sun or shade? 
I 
A. This depends on the variety. Practically all 
varieties do best with shade over the roots. 
Hence it is well to plant them with low 
flowers or ground covers. 
. ; • ■ '} * \ 
Q. Why do my lilies fail after 2 or 3 years? ; 
\ 
A. Virus disease and decay, resulting from injury 
to the bulbs before planting. 
* 
Crocus 
Q. Can they be planted in lawns? 
A. Yes, if properly treated. If the grass is cut 
before the crocus foliage matures, injury 
results. By planting in colonies under trees 
or near borders, the foliage may be permitted 
to mature. 
Q. Why do they run out? 
A. Because the foliage is cut down before matur¬ 
ing, or due to mole injury or mice. 
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