crekha,
Daffodils and Tulips are perennial bulbs, however, here in North Carolina (also a warm climate)...tulips do not rebloom reliably due to the lack of chilling hours required. Daffodils do great, though, and are pest proof since they are toxic. Most people who grow tulips in my zone treat them as annuals and don't expect rebloom. The species tulips are better at returning the following spring than the hybrids....if you really want to try tulips, they might be a good choice. They're not as showy, but very lovely.

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas A&M Home Horticulture

Glads do very well in full sun and well drained location.

Bulbs are very sensitve, I order to really keep them coming back every year your soil conditions must be perfect! the best way to keep them is by pulling them and properly storing them every year. I am sure in these wamer climates they are much harder to keep in the ground all year long. even in nj with my sandy soil I pulled them every year!

Check with the horticulturist on staff at your county extension service. They'll be able to give you a better idea of how bulbs will fare in south Texas. Here in North Louisiana, our daffodils naturalize pretty well, but tulips don't usually come back. Our caladiums sometimes come back if the bed doesn't stay wet and if it is well-mulched for the winter.

Angiebug gave you good advice. I'm in Florida 9a area, some bulbs will do well here and others we get too warm and too wet and they rot unless they are pulled out which I do not like to do. Your county extension service will give you the best answers on what works best in your area.

Welcome to Texas!

I'm too far north to know about bulbs for your area, but there are lots of helpful Houston-area gardeners on the Texas Forum, so you might post there.

sylvia

ps: I do think alliums grow *everywhere*!

Here in Oklahoma, I planted over 300 bulbs and corms and they have all "naturalized", multiplying in the ground all year and doing beautifully. I don't dig them up for the winter. Some bulbs do require a certain amount of cold in their dormant period, like tulips, but there are many that do not need to have severe cold.

I grow Tulips, Daffodils, Jonquils, Hyacinths, Scottish Blue Bells, Crocuses, Grape Hyacinths (Muscari), Lily of the Valley, Snow Drops, Freesia, and many other spring flowering bulbs and I never dig them up. In fact, October is the best month for planting spring flowering bulbs here in Oklahoma!

It really just depends on your area, and even your soil.
I seldom fertilze mine, other than the occassionally in early Spring I sprinkle some wood ashes (pot ash) around when I first see the bulb leaves begin to emerge from the ground. I also found that planting Tulips with Daffodils kept the mice from eating my Tulips. Daffodils are toxic, but Tulips are edible, so by planting them together, it is a deterent for mice.

Houston has some cold days in winter from time to time. If you really want to grow tulips, you can put them in the freezer for a few days and then in the refrigerator for a week and then back into the freezer, & etc. Do this for a about a month in late winter (January - Feb), just before time to plant them in early spring. This way, you will give them the cold they need to stimulate growth and blooms when you plant them in the warmer garden soil. You can plant them (probably in February) and they should bloom in March for you. Its a bit of work, but the blooms are well worth it. My aunt has done this before and she lives in Southern California in zone 9.

There are many, many small Nursery & Landscape businesses there in the Houston area - Dozens of them in fact. I would check with them first. I have been there and they seem to be everywhere, so go to one of the Nurseries and ask them about growing Spring flowering bulbs in your area. They are very friendly and will be glad to share their knowledge about gardening in Houston with you.

One good thing about gardening in the Houston area is the long growing season there. If you love to garden, you will enjoy having the long Autumns and long Springs - more days to garden!

I have family in the Houston area. I love the Houston zoo, the Botanical garden and the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the visitors center at NASA is awesome, too.

Welcome to the South and happy gardening!
~Annie

if you want them to come back every year, you need to fertilize them before they bloom, after they bloom and in the fall. i stick bright colored golf tees in the ground where they grow so that i know where to fertilize in the fall.
also, depending how far south you are, you may not need to plant them the full 6 inches deep (or what ever the intructions call for) the bulbs need to get cold in the winter. ask someone at a few different nurseries in your area for advice.