I saw Walmart has "spent" (already flowered) tulips for 25 cents? Can I plant now to bloom next spring?

Yes, I'd leave the foliage intact so they can absorb some nutrients and perhaps give them a little fertilizer to boot.

Nance, I'd be interested to know what Walmart says about the bulbs ability to bloom again.
If these bulbs were "forced", there is hardly any chance those will bloom again.
The usual advice for such bulbs is to 'toss them'.

Forcing is the process of bringing plants into bloom either outside their normal blooming time or to meet a specific schedule, such as for a holiday. The process of forcing weakens the bulbs to the point that they are unlikely to perform satisfactorily the next year.
Somebody has enjoyed the bloom....and now they are through blooming.

If these have indeed been forced, you are buying a pig-in-a-poke.
One though has to surmise the store is not trying to cheat anybody. Possibly they have not been forced but were planted in the usual manner and came to bloom.

For 25¢ take a chance they will come to something. Do allow them to wither, go brown and send their sugars back down into the bulb.
Hopefully, the roots are strong enough to fend off vermin that might like to dine on them.
Plant them en masse...much the better picture.

quote:

Yes, I'd leave the foliage intact so they can absorb some nutrients and perhaps give them a little fertilizer to boot.

Ditto!

Ok, thanks GA-girl,Hayland and mgt.
I'm going back tomorrow and see what they've got left. Maybe I'll even ask them if they know if the were "forced."

What kind of fertilizer would you use?

Not injecting any advice or opinion here...Just thought I'd let you know I received an Easter Lily around Easter of '07. I stuck it in the ground, let it die down and it came back up early this year...in multiple numbers. I dug it up and divided it into about 10 individual plants. The offshoots are small plants and the "mother" plant is huge! Interestingly enough, it is one of the smaller offshoots that has a bud that is about to bloom any day now. And the mother plant has about 6 or more buds on it. I can't wait!!!! That was my first experience with a store bought, forced bulb plant. I suppose this is the time of year Easter lilies are supposed to bloom. I watched a tv show about them that showed how they were forced to bloom by Easter.

Cool, Purecountry...good for you.

Ok, then. I'm gonna go out and plant my two Easter lilies DH picked up this year. I've been watering them and keeping em green indoors here wondering what I ws going to do with them. The leaves are just starting to turn yellow.

nance...When my easter lilies came up this year..I think it was in January or February (remember I am in Florida), they came up in a big clump of them. At first I couldn't even remember what I had put there that could be coming up! So I dug it up and what you will have is a bright yellow bulb with little "scales". That is what I call them. They break off fairly easy so I was gentle with it at first. I had seen a show about Easter lilies and how they propagate them. They take those scales and plant those. From the show it seemed like it took a couple of years for those scales to become what we see in the store at Easter time. Well I threw a pile of the scales that fell off when I was dividing my bulbs into the soil and believe it or not I have some lilies coming up! My garden surprises me everyday! I have learned so much since I started seriously gardening 2 years ago when we bought our first home.

I think its all those "garden surprises" that keep us all tuned in & turned on!