I grow it here and I dont have any problems with it at all. though the temps are not qute the same. I just leave it from one year to the next. I dead head it after it has flowered and give the soil a light feed so the bulb regenerates well for the following year.

I'm a little confused on this one. I looked it up on the Dave's Garden website, and it says that this is for zone 7 and below. Then the comment section has it growing in El Cajon and the S.F. Bay Area (both zone 10). At 29 F., it should be enough to chill the bulbs (vernalization). If there is any doubt, lift the bulbs after the foliage dies down and store them over the summer in the bottom of your refrigerator.

Seaburngirl, I appreciate your response, but there is a _huge_ difference between your climate and mine! Think inland Western Australia plus urban heat island: up to 7 months of daily highs 41-48 deg. C, 2-3 months of nights 33+ deg. C, winter lows rarely below -4 C, just for an hour or two, and just 3-6 nights out of the whole winter. That's my climate in a nutshell.

Wylie, I was hoping to avoid stocking my fridge with bulbs and having to leave the bulbs out! :D I looked at Dave's info, and I suspect that they got lazy and just plugged in the info for the more common Tulip hybrids. It'sgood to know that it grows in El Cajon, but I was hoping for reports from places farther inland. There's also a world of difference between Coastal California's and Phoenix' yearly soil temp profiles, which I know affects winter chilling of the bulbs, as well as summer survival.

Thanks, both of you!

I don't grow any type of tulips here because it is so warm. A former neighbor used to buy them every year and said that the trick was not to plant them very deep. Then she would pull them up after they flowered, and threw them away.
Since you live in a fairly warm area, have you seen what is available on easytogrowbulbs.com This is a company that specilizes in bulbs for warmer areas. I got the watsonia and it starts growing in the fall and blooms late spring.

Wylie, I was wondering about them since most of what I read about them indicates that they don't need winter chilling, like the traditional Dutch hybrids do. I presently have some Tulipa saxatilis growing in pots: growing vigorously, and no sign of missing the chill, but this is their first year, and I'm not certain that they'll bloom this spring. I feel kind of like a pioneer on these "low chill" tulips, since I have had a hard time finding anyone who knows about them. Have been salivating over a few other species, such as T. cretica, T. goulymii, and T sylvestris, but I'm not sure how I'll get hold of them to try them. I do have Watsonias ordered for this fall, and I have often looked at Easy to Grow Bulbs, but thought them a little pricey. Probably not so pricey if they actually deliver the size and quality they promise.

Thanks for responding again!