Growing Tulips

Tulipa

Ahhhhh the Tulip….

One of our favorite reminders that the long winter is coming to an end and vibrant spring colors are about to fill our gardens!

Those strong, green shoots popping through the soil stir up the endorphins in our souls. The amount of photos in my camera roll of young tulips shoots is slightly embarrassing, LOL!

Tulips are a beloved spring bloom that growers and gardeners swoon over for their bold, reliable spring color, dramatic form, and wide range of shapes and hues that work well in garden beds, and cut-flower bouquets. They’re relatively easy to plant and care for, with many varieties naturalizing well in zones like ours here in the north.

Here I’ll share how to grow Tulips as short lived perennials in the typical garden landscape. It is best to replace most bulbs every 2-3 years as they will decline in vigor and quality as they age.

On our farm, we grow tulips as annuals for cut flowers. This technique has many differences than growing them as perennials. We will touch on this in the future.

The Details

Plant Tulip bulbs should be planted in the fall when temperatures begin to drop and the soil is below 60°F, typically late September to November in our zone.

Tulips do best in full sun and require well-draining soil to prevent rot in wet, heavy soils.

When growing for landscape as a perennial, plant bulbs 4-5” apart and about 5-7” deep. The rule of thumb is to plant bulbs 3x as deep as the bulb is high with pointy side up.

Water deeply once after planting the bulbs. Then again, moderately, in the spring if the soil is dry. Ideally, during the blooming season, they should be watered every 3-5 days if there is no rainfall.

After the Tulips have finished blooming, it’s important to allow the plants to die back naturally in order for them to gather energy through their leaves & stem to bloom again next season. Allow the leaves/stems to completely die back and turn yellow before clearing away debris and potentially planting summer annuals in that same spot.

We offer a limited number of tulip bulbs each season in varieties that are also grown on our farm. These tend to be taller, specialty varieties. Shop here: https://www.shebloomsflowerfarm.com/bulbs-corms/tulip-bulbs