Garden: Unexpected Tulips!

The first autumn we were here I planted dozens of tulips in a couple of borders next to the house.  In the spring some flowered, but my pleasure was short-lived as we had a nasty attack of the rampaging voles.



The scenario was something like this: before breakfast, rush out to admire any newly opened tulip flowers.  Before lunch return to the plant in question, which would now be lying horizontal on the ground, collect the flower and put into a vase in the kitchen. There was never any need to cut off the flower stem as the tulips had been completely consumed from the bulb up!

The following year a family of feral cats arrived and the voles ceased to rampage (shame) and we did get a few more flowers from the odd surviving bulb, one of which set seed. Knowing nothing about saving tulip seed, or indeed any other kind of seeds, I collected them when dry, popped them in an envelope and then forgot about them.

The next spring I rediscovered the seeds and sprinkled them over the surface of some compost in a pot, tucked them into a shady corner and forgot about them again. Yesterday I came across the pot once more, almost two years on!  Last year they did absolutely nothing and in the autumn I was on the point of recycling the compost into a planter but like much of my plans from August on, nothing happened..  Thank goodness as we now have a little forest of tiny tulip seedlings.

I wonder how many years it takes for them to flower, and what kind of horrible hybrid I've produced? Watch this space ...