Vermont's climes aren't particularly tulip-friendly unless you plant a certain sort. And that kind of tulip is known as the species tulip.
Also called wild tulips, these grow anywhere from the Tibetan Plateau, to Iran and through Turkey, and all the way to Southern Europe.
These tulips are native plants with really interesting flower petal shapes and shades. Even the leaves are interesting, as some have twisted leaves while others are variegated with different coloring on them.
Species or wild tulips are low-growing, and some of them are almost like ground covers.
If you're up for planting tulips that look quite different than the hybrid varieties you're probably used to, look for colorful, interesting sorts like Tulipa tarda or tulipa praetens.
The nice thing about wild or species tulips is that, unlike the hybrid tulips, these will come back year after year, as long as they're in full sun with really well drained soil!
And not only will they come back, but they will naturalize, too.
Q: "I planted 100 Viking variety aronia potted plants in October of 2011. Now they're nine and 10 feet tall and have a prodigious yield every year. I did this mainly as a demonstration for all Vermont residents to persuade them to grow a few bushes for the food scarcity that I expected to occur and appears to be manifesting now via climate change. The nutritional value of the berries is ideal." - William, in Bomoseen
A: Aronia berries are highly nutritious and are really easy to grow. They are tough and hardy and a beautiful plant to add to your landscape.
The plants bear beautiful berries that are tasty but with a kind astringency to them. You might not pop them in your mouth like you might a blueberry but they do make a great juice that can be used in all kinds of food preparations. And the plant has beautiful fall foliage color, too.
All Things Gardening is powered by you, the listener! Send your gardening questions and conundrums and Charlie may answer them in upcoming episodes. You can also leave a voicemail with your gardening question by calling VPR at (802) 655-9451.
Hear All Things Gardening during Weekend Edition Sunday with VPR host Mary Engisch, Sunday mornings at 9:35.
Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or get in touch by tweeting us @vprnet.
We've closed our comments. Read about ways to get in touch here.
