FRESH PICK WHAT TO PLANT THIS WEEK TULIP (TULIPA).

Byline: Barbara De Witt Staff Writer

TULIPS ARE one of the first signs of spring, but you need to buy them now. A spring-blooming bulb, much like daffodils, crocuses and irises, tulips are fairly goof-proof but require a little more effort in the San Fernando Valley because winter comes so late - if at all.

They're worth the effort because they are regal-looking, whether poking their colorful cupped heads out of the garden or from a tall vase in the house. The only downside of tulips - and other bulbs - is that they bloom just once a year, so plant plenty.

GETTING STARTED: Bulbs of all types are arriving now in garden centers, sold separately and in net bags that make it easy to inspect them and avoid any that look moldy.

While gardeners in areas that already have cold evenings (as low as 40 degrees) can plant them immediately, San Fernando Valley gardeners need to refrigerate them for four to six weeks. ``Refrigeration replicates winter, so in a sense you're fooling the tulip bulbs,'' explains Ed McCord, manager of Green Thumb nursery in Canoga Park. McCord says the bulbs should be placed in a brown paper bag or a plastic one that has holes and stored in the vegetable crisper drawer of the refrigerator (or a lower shelf), but away from ripening fruit.

When it's time to plant the bulbs, place them pointy end up - so the roots will grown down - in loose, preconditioned, fertilized soil in an area that will have at least four hours of daily sunlight, he says.

For a longer blooming season, plant some of the tulip bulbs at four weeks, others at six weeks.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE: Tulips require well-fed soil, so, in addition to an organic compost mixed into the soil, you should ``top-dress'' the bed with compost or peat or a slow-release water-soluble fertilizer.

Once the tulips have bloomed, you can ``dead-head'' them by snipping off the faded flowers to prevent the formation of seeds.

VARIETIES: Tulips come in numerous colors from white to pink, orange to dark purple in sturdy-stemmed varieties that bloom in the early spring, with taller, more high-profile varieties such as Triumph tulips and Darwin hybrids peeking out of the soil in midspring. The impressive Parrot tulip, noted for its large, long, deeply fringed and ruffled flower and often featured in still-life paintings, is a late bloomer.

There's also an exotic family of tulips, and one of the most brilliant examples is the Fosteriana, which has the largest tulip bloom - measuring up to 8 inches wide, according to the ``Sunset Western Garden Book'' (Sunset; $32.95).

Looking for height and width? The Emperor variety of Fosteriana grows up to 16 inches tall before topping off with its huge bloom, and the Orange Emperor is a favorite of TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, says Sally Ferguson, spokeswoman for the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Talk to your nursery person or a horticulturist at public gardens such as Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge at [phone]. Or see the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center Web site at bulb.com.

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The Orange Emperor tulip, also known as a Fosteriana tulip, above, is a favorite of Oprah Winfrey, according to Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center.