Note that tulips are toxic to people and pets.
Planting
When to Plant
Tulips should generally beplanted in the fall.
Research the best month to plant tulips in your region.
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it’s possible for you to alsoplant tulips in spring.
Tulips tend to display best if planted in groups of about 10 bulbs.
Annual vs. Perennial
Tulips are sometimes grown as annualsespecially the hybrid varieties.
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Unless labeled as “perennialized” or “naturalizing,” hybrids rarely re-bloom the following year.
Thus, these spaces are excellent spaces for growing tulips and other spring bulbs.
Soil
Tulips prefer rich, well-draining soil with aneutral pH to slightly acidic.
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Mixing in compost can improve drainage and provide nutrients to the bulbs.
Ideally, do this before planting the bulbs.
If your region gets rain every week or two, don’t water your tulips.
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In arid regions, watering every two weeks is recommended.
Feed them again the following spring when they sprout again.
Other than this, no additional feeding is necessary.
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For the amount to use, follow the product label instructions.
Many hybrid types tend to be relatively short-lived.
Leave the foliage in place until it turns yellow in mid-to-late summer.
This helps replenish the bulb’s energy.
This should be done in the fall, at the normal planting time for tulips.
Divide bulbs every three to five years.
No flowers?
Newly divided tulips may produce foliage but no flowers for the first few years.
At about the third year, you could expect the new bulbs to bloom.
Potting and Repotting Tulips
Tulips are easy to grow in well-draining pots filled with standard potting mix.
Within three to five weeks, the plants should flower.
Potted bulbs rarely re-bloom the following season.
Overwintering
If growing them in cold-winter zones, garden tulips require no special winter protection.
However, withhold watering in fall, as wet winter soil can encourage bulb rot.
Newly planted seeds started in spring in containers need acold frameto protect them for their first outdoor winter.
Insect pests include:
Tulips are susceptible to basal rot and fire fungus.
Basal rot appears as dark brown spotting or pink or white fungus on the bulbs.
Plants that grow from affected bulbs may be deformed or die early.
Discard affected bulbs and plant new bulbs that have been treated with a fungicide.
Bulbs affected by fire fungus lead to malformed or stunted plants or plants that never emerge.
Affected plants may have curling shoots or dead areas with dark green rings.
Treat affected plants with a fungicide.
Bloom Months
Tulips typically bloom in April or May, with foliage preceding flowers in March.
They can also be forced to bloom earlier indoors after bulbs have had a 12-week chill period.
How Long Do Tulips Bloom?
The flowers will only last a few days if the temperatures are warmer.
These flowers will not re-bloom in the same growing season.
Tulips also make greatcut flowers.
Cut tulips prefer cold water in the vase and cooler room temperatures to last longer.
On average, blooms last about five days in a tall-stemmed vase.
Barely opened buds last longer than already opened tulips.
Many tulips are odorless, but some have a honey or green-citrusy smell.
Tulips depend on ideal growing conditions throughout the year.
Others pull up the bulbs and discard them like annuals if they’re not a reliable reblooming variety.
Otherwise, the plant will put its energy into developing tulip seed pods, pulling vigor from the bulbs.
They dig up the bulbs about six weeks after blooming.
Discard damaged or diseased bulbs and let them dry.
These types may require staking, especially if the plants are in semi-shady locations, which encourages legginess.
Affected plants must be removed and discardednot composted, which can allow the virus to be transmitted.
Tulips are among the earlier spring bloomers, so they can be worked into any spot in the yard.
They look best when planted in clusters rather than lines.
Because tulips require a chilling period, gardeners in warmer climates purchase pre-chilled bulbs and plant them annually.
In warm southern gardens, tulips can emerge in early January and bloom in early February.
The longevity of tulip bulbs varies considerably depending on the bang out you are growing.
Species types are fairly long-lived perennials, coming back and multiplying year after year.
One way to guard your bulbs is by burying chicken wire or hardware cloth over the bulbs.
The metal wire will discourage rodents but still allow plant shoots to emerge through the openings.
North Carolina State Extension.
