I'm in eastern PA Zone 7a (until just recently 6b).
I had planted some double late "peony" tulips in my bulb/perennial border bed the autumn before last with the hope of perennializing them. However I learned later that they do not really do this and I'd have to replant them each year.
They were so beautiful in the vase that I wanted more for spring arrangements. So instead last year I planted more in my cutting flower Dahlia bed with the intention of having the tulips and dahlias both serve as exciting focal flowers for cutting in their particular season.
However the ones I'd originally planted in my beds to perenialize rebloomed beautifully this spring and were larger and even nicer in their second year with multiple blooms per original bulb. I'd say almost every single bulb came back as I only planted 15. Has anyone had this happen to them before? A fluke you think or are they much more prone to coming back then the coventional wisdom would have us believe?
I'd love if this would continue and they truly perennialize but I fear this is too much to hope. I always make sure to either cut for arrangements or dead head and I tend to throw on a little bulbtone in the general direction I think they were planted in the fall. Anything else that tends to help tulips set up shop for the long haul for others?
Attached is a picture of the ones that came up second year. These were ones I didn't get a chance to cut until a windstorm and they had flopped all over but as you can see they're still quite nicely sized.
