On 16 May 2010, at 11:46, James Waddick wrote: > Dear friends, > > Tulipa sprengeri is just in bud and coloring up. This is our > latest tulip to bloom by far and long after every other tulip has > faded and nearly or totally dormant. In its own way it is a treasure > and I need many more. It is extremely slow to multiply by traditional > division methods here (and I understand this is typical for this > species). I have some seedlings coming along, but I still want more > and to try it in other parts of the garden. Instant gratification (in > bulb terms that means bloom in a couple of years) > > Does anyone have bulbs for sale, trade or can suggest a > reasonable source for bulbs of typical or 'Trotter's Form" (which I > do not grow at all) ? > > Appreciate any growing hints or even more praise for this > unusual species. Ah, my favorite tulip, dear to my heart but slowly taking over my garden. Sow seed in deep flats as soon as it's ripe. Germination next spring. Leave in the flats at least until the young bulbs go dormant in 2012. (IOW give them two growing seasons in the flats.) Be sure the flats aren't on soil so the young bulbs can't escape. Try to keep the seedlings growing as long as possible. I'm uncertain whether fertilization is desirable, so you might want to try fertilizing one flat and not fertilize a second flat, then report back. In summer 2012, dump out the flats and pick out the small bulbs that have formed. Plant these out, then sit back and wait. It takes several years before T. sprengeri reaches flowering size. If you like to take a gamble, just scatter the ripe seed where you want to establish this tulip. However, critters like tulip seed and your climate may not be as congenial to tulips spreading by seed as is our cool Mediterranean, summer-dry PacNW climate. Many years ago, in a misguided moment I scattered a large quantity of T. sprengeri on Saltspring Island, but I've never seen one flower of it at any of the sites I seeded. Life in the wild is hard on plants, hence you will get better long-term results sowing the seed in flats as suggested. Bulbs of T. sprengeri are scarce even in commerce because it has to be seed grown. Anyone who finds a specimen that multiplies well vegetatively should take steps to get it into the hands of the Dutch bulb growers, even if you don't make much money out of the deal. As for 'Trotter's Form' (named after R. D. "Dick" Trotter, the long-time treasurer of the RHS), I have a few seed-grown bulbs that purport to be this, but I see no difference between them and the many other specimens I have. I've never found a clear, unambiguous description of the difference between run of the mill T. sprengeri and 'Trotter's Form'. It's a truly lovely plant, its only drawback being its propensity to spread far and wide. In the earliest years of the AGS seed exchange (ca. 1950), the then- director of the exchange, E. B. Anderson, specifically asked that no seed be sent in of T. sprengeri: it's that easy to grow. Over and out to Jane McGary. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island http://maps.google.ca/maps/…