Mary Sue, I also live in Southern California, Orange County. I used to keep tulip bulbs in floral refrigerator in fall before planing them in December. It is too warm to set flowers here. It is wonderful to see tulips for Valentine Day, but I found some species tulips bloom without chilling. Tulipa 'Lilac Wondre', 'Tulipa 'Sylvestris' and Tulipa 'Clusiana' are reliable to come back every year. Makiko On Nov 16, 2013, at 9:26 AM, Mary Sue Ittner wrote: > That's a great article about Tulipa sprengeri. Maggi, we all > appreciate your including links to the International Rock Gardener > and that the Scottish Rock Garden Society is willing to share it with everyone. > > Since Rodger has continued to praise this tulip over the years I have > broken the Tony Avent rule and have started it four times from seed > starting in 1999. As the article noted, it is frequently listed in > seed exchanges so not hard to obtain the seed. Obviously it blooms > for a lot of people and sets seed. The last time I tried was in 2007 > and I have done better with this batch so perhaps my skill is > improving. But it hasn't bloomed and I was heartened by Rodger > saying it takes 7 years to bloom and now discouraged to read that it > only takes four years from seed to bloom. Since I prechill the tulips > I grow every year since it doesn't get very cold here and otherwise > they don't bloom, I've never been sure what to do with seedlings and > have just left them in the pots in the shade until they were bigger > so perhaps that too could be a problem. This year the sprengeri bulbs > I still have left (the survival rate has not been good) are in the > refrigerator with the rest of my tulips, but they are very small. > Even the species tulips that are supposed to bloom in the ground in > California I haven't been able to get to bloom for more than a year > or two once they get planted out. I suspect too that I've been > puzzled by this species since it is one of the last to appear and is > still growing when the others are dying back so perhaps I've not kept > watering it long enough as the rainfall diminishes in spring. Rodger, > I'm envious of your having this plant bloom and seed about and look > forward to the day I'll get it to bloom. > > Note that my signature this year is a bit inaccurate as it has been > extremely dry and I'm getting a chance to experience what it normally > is like in Southern California. If I lived there, I'd be > growing even more Oxalis as they have been amazing this year! > > Mary Sue > > Mary Sue Ittner > California's North Coast > Wet mild winters with occasional frost > Dry mild summers > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/