Tulip
Also called Garden tulip, Didier's tulip.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 30 days in the growing season, every 30 in winter |
| Humidity | low |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 45 cm (18 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats toxic, dogs toxic |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Tulip entry.
Toxic to cats and dogs if chewed. Toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The principles are tulipalin A and B, concentrated in the bulb, causing vomiting, drooling and depression. Keep it where an animal that eats houseplants cannot reach it, and speak to a vet if one does. In South Africa telephone the Poison Information Helpline on 0861 555 777; in the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435.
Tulips are mountain plants from Central Asia and they want the mountain year: a cold winter, a bright dry spring, and a hot dry summer with nothing to rot them. The planting window in the north runs through autumn, from September to November, and there is a good reason to take the late end of it. Cold soil holds back the fungus that causes tulip fire, so November plantings are noticeably cleaner than September ones. In South Africa the bulbs reach the shops in March, are usually pre chilled, and go into the ground through autumn and into the cold weeks of June. Plant deep, in the sunniest, best drained place you have. Where summers are wet, lift the bulbs once the leaves brown and store them somewhere dry until the next autumn.
Ailments observed
| Spots on the leaves | Tulip fire, a fungus that scorches the leaf and twists the shoot. Dig up and bin affected bulbs, do not compost them, and grow no tulips in that ground for three years. It spreads fastest in a wet spring. |
|---|---|
| It will not flower | Bulbs that were planted too shallow, or left in wet summer soil. Plant at least fifteen centimetres deep, and lift the bulbs after the leaves die back if your soil stays damp through summer. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner
Neighbouring entries
African violet
Streptocarpus ionanthusAfrican violet care that keeps it flowering all year, with why you water from below, what makes the pale rings on the leaves, and how to root a single leaf.
Aloe vera
Aloe veraAloe vera care on a bright windowsill, with the soak and dry watering it needs, why leaves flatten or curl, and how to pot up the offsets.
Areca palm
Dypsis lutescensAreca palm care that keeps the fronds green, with how often to water, what browns the tips, why spider mites arrive, and how big it really gets.