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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Tulips
Planting
Tulips prefer a site with full or afternoon sun. In Zones 7 and 8, choose a shady site or one with morning sun only, as tulips don鈥檛 like a lot of heat.
The soil must be well-draining, neutral to slightly acidic, fertile, and dry or sandy. All tulips dislike areas with excessive moisture. Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost.
Tall varieties should be sheltered from strong winds.
When to Plant Tulips
- Plant tulip bulbs in the fall, 6 to 8 weeks before a hard, ground-freezing frost is expected. The bulbs need time to establish themselves. Planting too early leads to disease problems. See local frost dates.
- A good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs when the average nighttime temperatures in your area are in the 40s.
- In colder northern climates, plant in September or October. In warmer climates, plant bulbs in December (or even later).
- To find the best dates, consult our fall bulb planting chart.
- Nature never intended bulbs to loll about above ground, so don鈥檛 delay planting the bulbs after purchase.
- In southern climates with mild winters, plant bulbs in late November or December. The bulbs will need to be chilled in the refrigerator for about 12 weeks before planting. (Bulb suppliers often offer pre-chilled bulbs for sale, too.)
- If you miss planting your bulbs at the optimal time, don鈥檛 wait for spring or next fall. Bulbs aren鈥檛 like seeds. Even if you find an unplanted sack of tulips or daffodils in January or February, plant them and take your chances. See more about planting tulips in winter.
How to Plant Tulips
- Plant bulbs fairly deep鈥8 inches deep, or about three times the height of the bulb. Dig a hole deeper than that in order to loosen the soil and allow for drainage. In clay soils, plant 3 to 6 inches deep instead.
- Space bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart.
- Set the bulb in the hole with the pointy end up. Cover with soil and press soil firmly.
- Water bulbs right after planting. Although they can鈥檛 bear wet feet, bulbs need water to trigger growth.
- If you鈥檙e planning to raise perennial tulips, feed them a balanced fertilizer when you plant them in the fall. Bulbs are their own complete storage system and contain all of the nutrients they need for one year. Use organic material, compost, or a balanced time-release bulb food.
- To deter mice and moles鈥攊f they have been a problem鈥攑ut holly or any other thorny leaves in the planting holes. Some gardeners use kitty litter or crushed gravel. If ravenous voles and rodents are a real problem, you may need to take stronger measures, such as planting bulbs in buried wire cages.
- Don鈥檛 lose hope if you鈥檙e planting your tulips later in the season鈥攋ust follow these tips.
Growing
- If it rains weekly, do not water. However, if there is a dry spell and it does not rain, you should water the bulbs weekly until the ground freezes.
- Rainy summers, irrigation systems, and wet soil are death to tulips. Never deliberately water a bulb bed unless in a drought. Wet soil leads to fungus and disease and can rot bulbs. Add shredded pine bark, sand, or any other rough material to the soil to foster swift drainage.
- Apply compost annually to provide nutrients needed for future blooms.
- In the spring, when leaves emerge, feed your tulip the same bulb food or bone meal you used at planting time. Water well.
- Deadhead tulips as soon as they go by, but do not remove the leaves!
- Allow the leaves to remain on the plants for about 6 weeks after flowering. The tulips need their foliage to gather energy for next year鈥檚 blooms! After the foliage turns yellow and dies back, it can be pruned off.
- Large varieties may need replanting every few years; small types usually multiply and spread on their own.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hi Scott,
You can rake up the decaying plants but don’t dig into the soil yet. Wait for the tulips to grow and bloom this spring and then do the major cleanup. You may want to dig the bulbs after the foliage has died back and replant the bulbs. You can put some gravel or chicken wire around the bulbs in the soil to discourage voles and squirrels to dig and eat the bulbs. You may not need to put a fence up. See our page about fall planted bulbs at www.almanac.com/content/growing-guide-fall-planted-bulbs.
It has been years since I have tried to replant the bulbs. Am I correct in removing them from the pot to a brown bag for the summer season to replant in the fall? I am in Texas. Thank you for any information you can give me.
Every Mother's Day a local company gives away freshly dug up daffodils and tulips. Can I plant them right away or should I wait until fall? I live in the St. Louis, MO area.
My oldest son gave me a pot with six bulbs at least when he was visiting from England on the 19th of February,the flowers have died and the leaves are all turning yellow not sure how to tend to the plant ,how and what should I do at this point
Got a pot of tulips, they're finished blooming, how do I transfer them to the ground this time of year, I'm assuming as I would in the fall, and hope to see them next spring?
You can keep the bulbs in the pot and let the foliage die back. When the outdoor soil warms up and you can dig a hole transplant the bulbs to the garden.
I have tulip bulbs in my fridge. I live in Waco Tx and we haven't had a cold winter. If I plant the bulbs now, should they do ok?
How do I store tulip bulbs in Phoenix, Arizona? Can I plant them for the rest of the year or will it be to hot? How much moisture will they need? Thank you.
I received a pot of Tulips for Valentines. I live in South Alabama. The tops are now dead. What do I do with them in order to replant and have flowers again next year? Thanks for your help!
You can keep the bulbs in the pot and let the foliage die back. When the outdoor soil warms up and you can dig a hole transplant the bulbs to the garden.