How cold sensitive are Tulips???

Hi,

Maybe someone here can help me out please: I'm just wondering if anyone here knows how cold sensitive tulips are??

It's going to get down to the twenties tonight and I'm wondering if I should cover/move my pots of tulips. I have about 12 big pots of just ordinary red and yellow tulips, but I would like to save the trouble of moving them if they are known to survive in cold weather.

I ask here on the NE forum since you all keep quite a lively forum (and I'll be more likely to get a good answer very soon) and you all seem to know lots about this variable spring weather!

Thanks loads for any advice. t.

I've never covered them and they were fine. Snow would be a different story.

Thanks so much Victor for your quick reply.

I'm thinking they will be OK too.

I'll keep my fingers crossed, anyway! t.

You're very welcome. Yes - my Mets were freezing there today! (But we won!)

I wish mine would just come up. Out of 300 single early tulips less than 50 have emerged. Had them mulched, nothing ate the bulbs, 200 monte carlo double early tulips all came up last year in the same spot but this collection (6 varieties) seems to be a dud.

so sorry DP... that's terrible

I wouldnt give up yet on a bulb.

They should survive as long as the snow doesnt get deep enough or heavy enough to break the stems.


This message was edited Apr 7, 2009 8:20 AM

Wow - no signs of foliage, David?

Don't give up yet DP. Some may just be a little slower.

Victor....nope...got a clump of this and that, then some lone single plants of one of the 6 varieties.

Dahlianut...I'm hoping but its getting late. Planted 50 of each of these single early tulips:

Bellona
Christmas Dream
Couleur Cardinal:
Princess Irene
Purple Prince
White Marvel

Guess I'll want until May...dig up what hasn't appeared, take some photos if its still a mystery and ask the vendor.

Disappointing as this is a 40' border and very visible from the main road into town. I do the tulips in the spring and then put in something different (asters, zinnias, dahlias) every year for a summer/fall show.

What a disappointment, David.

That is a BIG bummer DP if they don't appear. Hopefully the supplier will give you a refund/credit.

Ha, ha, Victor! About the Mets! Cold didn't seem to bother them the first two games, anyway!

My tulips seemed to have done OK in the cold (not like the Reds!). Much relief here. They are almost ready to bloom.

David, so sorry to hear about your crop failure. Those tulips of mine that didn't come up succumbed to the critters or the bulbs froze because I planted them too late and the roots hadn't had time to form. Boo hoo!

Most of my tulips are planted in pots to make it harder for the critters, but that's not always successful, of course. Wiley things, they are!