Tulipa clusiana var. chrysantha

ConroeJoe@aol.com ConroeJoe@aol.com
Mon, 21 Mar 2005 15:16:08 PST
Hi Gang, 

Tulipa clusiana var. chrysantha is one of the small tulips that does well 
here in Houston, in a pot.  I tried out several species 2-3 years ago, and T. 
clusiana var. chrysantha is the only one that came back.  I have 'Tubergens Gem' 
but I'll have to try other colors/types because it has done so well here.

I planted the bulbs in a 10-inch clay pot, with good drainage in soil that 
had lots of humus.  They performed well the first year and I put the pot aside 
and eventually the leaves died back.  I didn't think much about the pot and 
left it outside in truly awful conditions--rain and hot sun were on it year 
round, humidity was high for months on end and I didn't even fertilize the pot 
(maybe I did once while the bulbs were still in leaf).  The low was 25 F for that 
first winter and I doubt that the tulips experienced that in their 
location--perhaps 28 F or even 30F.  The soil in the pot surely approach 90 F on many 
occasions and may have even gotten to 95 F on hot August days.  

The bulbs surprised me when they popped up again the next year--I had 
forgotten them and even forgotten what they were (thank goodness for name tags).  
They put out a good bloom and in the second year I made sure to fertilize them 
several times with dilute fertilizer with trace elements (not much nitrogen).  
They died down again and I decided to give them a break.  I left them in the 
elements but put the pot under a small azalea so it wouldn't bake quite so hot.  
The plants are up again, and have increased n numbers and should bloom soon.  
 

I'm going to try a few other colors of T. clusiana var. chrysantha.  Does 
this bulb come in pink or white, how about yellow?


Cordially, 

Conroe Joe 
Heavy rain and lightning for the past 2 days.  More predicted for tonight.  
It reminds me of what I used to call "tornado weather" in Alabama.  


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