Dumb question: I know that lilies develop seeds, but do tulips? I have a friend who had tulips this spring. one of them looks like it has a seed pod on it. I was wondering if I could harvest and treat just like the cannas?
Yes, of course tulips develop seeds. When the pod is ripe it will split, Inside are the seeds, lots of them. Sow fresh and put the seed pot somewhere safe from feet, animals, etc., but not the weather. They need a period of cold if they are to germinate. If they are going to grow then spring is their season. The seeds by the way are the thicker brown discs, in between each seed is a 'brown paper' separator. Be prepared for a long wait though, they can take up to 7 years to reach flowering size. And, if they are hybrid tulips, then what you would get may not look like the flower from which the seed came. 'Tis fun though!
So, do I put a bag or net over the seedpod so I don't lose the seeds? or will they stay put in the pod even after it bursts?
It's the same with most 'bulb' seeds but as Palustris says it's fun and well worth the wait. I've only done it with bluebells and snowdrops so far.
There are some bulbs which are a lot quicker to flower from seed and you can hurry up the process a little. The tiny bulbs like, Leucojum autumnale and Rhodohypoxis say will flower in the second season. Galtonia can be got to flower in their 3rd if you feed like mad for the first 2. Narcissus hybrids take 5 years minimum, unless you swap them from Northern hemisphere to Southern, then you can cut the time in half!. But N. bulbocodium will flower in its 3rd season. Some of the Scilla can flower pretty quickly, but I have just had one flower for the first time after waiting 7 years ( worth the wait, but no idea what it is, the label has washed off apart from the date!) If you sow seeds of bulbs, every year, eventually you reach the stage where something is going to be coming into flower every year, so go for it!
