trouble w/ tulips

[tuliptrouble]

Hi, i am very new at most of this gardening stuff. I just bought a house and have a very nice yard (with some exceptions) but only half of my tulips actually flowered. I am not sure why or what to do. Can anyone help me???

[debbielong]

What area of the country are you in? I live in NC, and tulips are a bit hard to grow due to compacted clay soil, and moles and squirrels - I planted 50 tulips one year, and only three came up. One thing to do : Make sure that your soil is right - add amendments and compost to provide drainage , and room for roots to grow. Also, dig up some of the areas where you know you planted, but nothing came up, to see if the bulbs were eaten by critters. If they were eaten, you can plant with a small mesh screen above and below them, to protect them from critters.
I've basically given up on tulips - short bloom season, and too many moles! I do more daffodils, which are hardy.