Answers From The Tulip Expert

From: MINNESOTA
From Pequot Lakes School, We planted 650 tulips last fall in our school court yard. The sun melted the snow on the northern section first. Because of this the emergence of our tulips there was sooner than the rest of the area.

Q. Last week we had some very unseasonably cold weather. A number of our tulips froze. The short leaves are yellow and look dead. Some of the plant is still green. The big question echoing around our school is will the tulips bloom? Thank You

A. Maybe ! It depends if the flower buds were frozen. Plants that had not emerged will be ok, others may have yellow or white leaves and still flower, still others may be nothing but white thin foliage. Tulips are ok at 25 or even 20 degrees, but not at 8 degrees which was what the Twin Cities had ! the plants that look the worst this year will not recover and will not be here next year, the food reserves from the bulbs are gone and with no green leaves the bulb cannot form again.
Pequot Lakes School Elem. Staff
Pequot Lakes
jmineric@informns.k12.mn.us

From: MINNESOTA
Q. Our tulips were about 4 inches tall, and then they froze. Will they come back alive?

A. Temperatures below 20 degrees can be fatal to tulips. Any part that is frozen will turn white and not be able to make sugars for the bulb for next year, or for the flower to continue to form this year. I expect you will see a few small flowers, or deformed plants but not many flowers.
St. Wenceslaus
spmwnp@mtn.org

From: MINNESOTA
Q. Will the tulips still grow after they have frozen this spring? Alex Peters, grade 5

A. Yes, they will still grow if more of the plant is below ground that what was above when it froze. Tulips do not like temperatures below 20 degrees, but because much of their stored food is in the bulb below ground you may still see some flowers.

Q. Were do tulip bulbs come From? Leif Anderson, grade 4

A. Tulips come from the Mediterranian region of the world, Turkey and Persia Iraq) were the countries where people first collected tulips. Today many tulips are grown in Holland and the Netherlands and imported into the US and the rest of the world.

Q. How do the bulbs turn into tulips? Ellyn Wukmir, grade 6

A. Inside each bulb are small leaves and a flower bud. If you cut a tulip open you will see these, but they are tiny and white and look like the rings or circles we see inside of onions. Onions and tulips are actually very similar. Temperatures and moisture are signals for the bulbs to begin to grow and cause the cells in the rings to elongate and grow into the leaves and flowers we recognize. The bulbs must be planted in the fall, them have many hours of chilling or cold temperatures, (this is our winter) and then the flower bud will enlogate and grow. Without the moist fall and cold winter the bulb will not gorw, it needs the cold temperatures and moisture to signal the flower bud to grow. webster open school
lfabel@mpls.k12.mn.us

From: FLORIDA
Q. How do tulips reproduce?

A. tulips form seeds, if you leave the flowers on the plant you willsee a swelling on the stem where the flower was. When the stem is brown and dry you can cut this open and find the seeds.

Q. What colors can tulips be naturally found in?

A. Many colors, especially reds, oranges and yellows.

Q. What parts of the world are they naturally found in?

A. Tulips are from the Mediterranian, especially Turkey and Persia (Iraq).
Largo High School
shapiroa@concentric.net

University of Minnesota
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