stopping tulip rot

by Betty Neale-Oestreicher
(St. Louis, MO USA)

I want to plant my tulips in perennial beds... but with all I've read and have had my friends my experience, I understand that watering my perrenials will likely rot my tulip bulbs. My perrenials are well established (for the most part) but still need regular watering during the hot months and dry spells, and I have a tendency to water deeply to encourage my perrenials to root well. Any suggestions?


Doug says you can't fight basic biology. And yes, if you plant tulips in an area with summer irrigation, they will indeed fade away.

So - simply accept this fading away - and replant some every year to keep blooms coming.

Or don't plant.

But there is no solution to basic biology and trying to grow a plant (tulip) in a condition where it is simply not suited to being.

Sorry