Must we remove tulip bulbs from the ground?

Can we just leave the bulbs so they come back the following spring? We are in Allentown and have very little sun in the backyard due to a large tree. We do have sun in the front of the house. What bulb flowers will keep multiplying year after year? Thank you :)

Must we remove tulip bulbs from the ground?
Here is a good website for you:


http://www.tulipworld.com/info.asp?conte...





"Should I dig up my bulbs?





You can leave the spring-bloomers in the ground, because they are winter ‘hardy’. On the other hand you should remove the summer-blooming bulbs when you live in a cold climate zone. These bulbs are not winter ‘hardy’, so they cannot stand the cold. When you live in a warm climate zone then you can leave the bulbs in the ground."
Reply:Hello-------I am a Certified Master Gardener.





You don't have to dig up and store the tulip bulbs. But if you leave them in the ground, they will be more inclined to rotting out if you have a lot of snow/rain. And gophers eat them.





Certain daffodils will naturalize year after year. "Carlton" and "King Alfred" are good planted in drifts.





I sincerely hope this helps you.





PAMELA J.
Reply:Tulips, crocuses, and daffodils will all do just fine. Daffodils will keep spreading, too, and there are several sizes and varieties.
Reply:Yea you can keep them in the ground for 3-5 years without pulling them up and they'll be fine. I've never had any problems even with the ones I cut the flowers off of just leave the leaves on until it is totally dead to the ground.
Reply:We leave our bulbs in all year--they do come back in the spring, and yes they do multiply.
Reply:Yes, you can. They're perennials, they grow back every year (whether you want them to or not :P).
Reply:I do dig them up in late spring. We get lots of rain during fall %26amp; winter for about 4 to 5months, and I don't want the bulbs to rot and freeze in the ground. I try to dig them all up, but I usually miss a few. They usually come up, but I don't want to risk it. We have a famous Tulip field up north, and they also dig all the bulbs out 8 weeks after the blooming time(When all the leaves and stems become brown.). By digging them up, you can check what's happening to the bulbs. If there are a few off-springs, you can devide them up and plant in the different location, too. If you leave bulbs for more than 3 years, some of them might not bloom again, but produce only the leaves. Then, it's time to replace with fresh new bulbs. The crocus, lily of the valley, muscari and dafodils are ok to leave in the ground, year after year. They will multiply every year.
Reply:The backyard isn't going to be the happiest place for tulips... you may find yourself replanting every year if the area is as shady as you say... the leaves need to be able to photosynthesize enough reserve to make a bulb for the next year's bloom.





In not so shady spots, there's no reason to dig hardy bulbs unless you're moving them. There, the best time to dig would be during summer dormancy.





I'm not sure what bulbs will naturalize in your part of the world, but the minor bulbs like crocus, Scilla, colchicum, Leucojum, Hyacinthus non-scriptus, Muscari, Puschkinia, etc. all tend to naturalize better than tulips. Some Narcissus are also good naturalizers. Some of the minor bulbs are especially charming in a lawn or under shrubbery, but won't take assault by lawn herbicides. Here are a couple of photos for ideas:


http://www.cjzonneveld.com/images3/big/s...


http://www.mrail.net/index/index34.htm





More: http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pag...
Reply:Most tulips will come back for 3-4 years if they're allowed to bloom and then seed down. If you cut them in the spring when they bloom, they they can't seed down and won't come back.





Daffodils are great too, as are lily of the valley and hyacinth.
Reply:You don't have to. Tulips are hardy, and will multiply and come back for years. The difference with tulips though is that, unlike daffodils, their growth habit is such that as they multiply, they also get crowded to an unhealthy point after 3 or 4 years. It is good practice to dig them up every few years just to separate the bulbs and allow them space to mature. They will appreciate it greatly, and the ensuing show they put on will be that much better.