Tulip Daydream

Tulip Daydream – is an enormous bright Darwin Hybrid tulip bulb. The remarkable thing with Tulip Daydream is the change of colour from strong golden yellow, with a fine red rim, to a glowing rich peach colour just before its final days. At the centre of the flower is the distinctive Darwin Hybrid black base.

Planted in full sun these flowers will open up into large round plates around 15cm+ across, only to close up in the evening or in cold spring showers. This can exhaust the flowers and slightly shorten their flowering time. They are just as happy in dappled light but you are less likely to get the full benefit of the flowers opening wide.

Flowering in the spring, tulip bulbs grow well in borders, rock gardens and containers providing colour from early March through to mid-May.

When do I plant Tulip bulbs?

Plant tulip bulbs in Autumn between September and December, but you can plant them as late as January and they will still perform. They will begin to flower from March depending on the type, with some flowering into late April. Usually, they have about two weeks of flowering time per bulb depending on the weather.

How do I plant Tulip bulbs?

Tulip bulbs start with a good source of moisture and nutrients stored within the bulb, so you don’t need to feed, soak, or prepare them in any way. To get the best results from your tulip bulbs, plant them in moist soil during autumn. This will activate the growth of the roots before winter.

Tulip bulbs can be planted in a sunny position or semi-shade, with well-drained slightly acidic or neutral soil. The sun will make the tulip flowers open very wide, but they close again overnight. Taller varieties should be sheltered from strong winds to avoid stem breakage.

Plant tulip bulbs 10-15cm deep in well-draining soil. Place 5-10cm apart to stop the roots competing and the foliage getting cramped. Tulip bulbs produce a lot of roots that don’t like to sit in water, but once they start growing make sure they don’t dry out. If planting in pots, make sure they have good drainage and lots of room for the roots to develop. Pots can dry out quite quickly so a loam soil is often best.

How do I store tulip bulbs?

Once your Tulips have bloomed you can deadhead the flowers but do not remove the leaves. These will ensure the bulbs are able to gather and store the energy needed to bloom again the following year.

Tulip bulbs can be kept in the ground all year round, but you may find that they don’t put on as much of a display as the previous year.

Once the foliage has yellowed and died back, it can be removed, then carefully dig the tulip bulbs up. Clean the soil off and let the bulbs dry. Discard any damaged ones. Store tulip bulbs in nets or paper bags, but make sure you label them. Keep in a cool dark place ready to replant in the Autumn.