Stop and think about it. There really aren't too many plants as ugly without flowers as a tulip. Once the tulip is done flowering, you're left with big fat leaves that tend to flop faster than a Madonna movie. Oh, and the remains of the flower stalk sticking up in the air as a reminder of past blooms is about as appealing as a root canal.

Unfortunately, the leaves are crucial.

The leaves are responsible for making the food that's stored in the bulb and will lead to next year's bloom. Cut off the leaves, and you are essentially reducing or eliminating the chance of good blooms next year.

Now, that's not always a bad thing, though I would tend to suggest you would be better just lifting the bulb out of the ground and throwing it on the compost pile.

That's almost sacrilegious. Getting rid of a plant that is alive? Lightning bolts are sure to strike.

Well, probably not. I hope not. I keep my fingers crossed.

Many businesses don't worry about the foliage slowly getting bigger and bigger and finally turning yellow around July. That plant image doesn't fit their corporate image, so the bulbs are removed and discarded. The corporate image is saved.

Some homeowners are in the same boat. Forget the fact that tulips may bloom for five or more years. Enjoy this year, and replant with new ones in the fall.

That's not me. I like to keep things around as long as possible, even to the point where they should've been discarded several years ago.

All bulb foliage fits into the same category of tulips, though tulips seem to have the monopoly on ugliness.

Daffodil leaves end up being long and strap-like. Yes, they'll flop over, but if you have nothing better to do in the garden, you can tie the leaves into knots, clip with clothespins or braid the foliage. Many botanical gardens do the latter, causing no end of comments from curious children and adults as to how a plant can actually twist itself so uniformly.

Year after year, I tie the daffodil leaves in knots just to get them out of the way of annual flowers and vegetables that are planted nearby. Just grab a handful of leaves and twist them under and through each other. It helps to have lots of daffodils planted together.

My hyacinth foliage has never looked as ugly as tulips, but it really isn't something you want to call attention to.

Fortunately, most of the small bulbs, such as Snowdrops and Winter aconites, have foliage that seems to disappear by Easter. No one really cares about them. Crocuses have the same blessing.

This spring cut the flower stalk off as soon as all the petals have fallen. With tulips, cut back to the first leaf. Daffodils and hyacinths have leafless flower stalks, so you can cut them to the ground.

Some people try to pull the stems. That's okay as long as the stem is completely yellow and brown. If it's still green, you might pull the bulb up.

You can plant fast growing plants around the tulips. Unfortunately, there aren't that many. You need to plant them early in April and hope by the end of the month or early May they'll be tall enough to shield the leaves. Lettuce and spinach seeds are good to scatter among the leaves. Just make sure you don't pick the tulip leaves.

Better yet, start planning your garden so other perennial flowers will hide the bulb foliage. My tulips are scattered among my hostas, peonies and daylilies, and under some shrubs. As those foliages emerge later in the month, they'll partially obscure the bulb leaves.

And if you don't have any perennials next to your bulbs, consider going to a garden center or nursery and purchasing some of the plants to hide the bulbs. Make sure not to dig too deep to disturb the bulb.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, University of Illinois Extension, P.O. Box 8199, Springfield, IL 62791. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-Mail: drobson@uiuc.edu

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