Garden Walks with Judy: The spring tulip bloom

Driving through Coralville and across Iowa City this last week, I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road.

Color is everywhere.

I passed purple redbud trees, reddish-purple crabapple covered with blooms, and majestic magnolias just beginning to blossom.

Bluebells were still spreading across many lawns, while lavender phlox creeps beside steps.  Yellow daffodils that arrived early and still survived were in competition with bright red tulips.

I was looking for tulips. It is hard to find them now as many people have planted deer-resistant daffodils. They know a deer can top a tulip bed during the night, leaving only the tall headless stems come morning.

But I found a few species tulips as I walked through Phillip Mears’ garden on Fairview Avenue in Iowa City—and I found so much more.

The Mears house, front, back, and sides, is surrounded right now by bluebells and yellow aconite, early spring iris, purple and white hellebores, emerging hostas, and peonies. Every inch is planted except for the walkways he has created to guide us through this special place, which is open to the public on a 24-hour basis.

Mears has been selling plants from his driveway for several years. Now, he is starting his fifth year of donating all the proceeds to the food banks. He says the amount so far is about $25,000, and already this spring, it is increasing. Considering that most of his plants sell for $5-$10, this is one popular nursery!

One of Mears Grinnell College friends, who also followed him in law school, now owns a nursery in Boston, MA called Joe Pye Weed’s Garden. Hearing about Mears’ work, he donated a hundred Bloodroot plants to sell this spring. This is a big boost for the contributions to the food banks.

Bloodroot is a native wildflower and the blooming white flowers are in striking contrast to the yellow aconites and Virginia bluebells. The name is from the reddish sap which forms if flowers are damaged. Our First Nation People used it for dye and insect repellant, too.

Another native wildflower is the Golden Alexander, a small yellow flower that is a natural pollinator as it attracts birds and butterflies.

And back to the tulips in the Mears' backyard. He had a gorgeous yellow with very pointy petals and tiny white ones with a bluish center. Species tulips are more likely to bloom again, whereas hybrid tulips may come up, but are not as reliable.

It has been years since I attended the tulip festival in Pella, but it is being held May 2-4 this year.

So many people have asked how they can hide their daffodils after they have bloomed.

Here’s the scoop—not much!

Don’t cut them down, braid them, or tie them, as those upright shoots facing the sun are feeding the bulb down below. You can and should cut the spent flowers just past the green bulb-like part on the back of the petals.

Put some other plants near them to help hide the dying plants, but it’s best to let them stay around for about 6 weeks.

If you have a question or comment, I have an email address to use. GardenwalkswithJudy@gmail.com

Judy Terry is a freelance garden writer who hopes to lead you through many fantastic gardens.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Garden Walks with Judy: The spring tulip bloom