How to Grow Tulips (with Pictures) (2024)

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Co-authored byBen Barkan

Last Updated: May 24, 2022Approved

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   Purchase tulip bulbs. You can buy them locally from a nursery or garden center or order them from a reputable mail order supply company.

   • If you pick them out yourself, look for bulbs that are firm to the touch and do not have defects such as mold, bruises or cuts. The bulbs should be light brown in color and covered in a papery, onion-like skin.
   • In terms of quantity, each bulb will produce between one and four stems and blossoms, so plan accordingly.
   • Choose bulbs based on the variety name for a more uniform look and growing pattern. Tulip bulbs labeled by color -- for example "yellow tulips" -- are often an assortment of species of tulips in that color.
   • Plan on planting the tulip bulbs within a week of buying, as the bulbs are not designed to stay above ground for long.
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   Decide when to plant tulip bulbs. Tulip bulbs should be planted in late fall, before the first winter frost.^[1] The bulbs will then lie dormant throughout the winter months, before growing and blossoming come springtime. The precise planting time will depend on your local climate.

   • Chill the bulbs before planting them if you live in an area where winter temperatures rarely get below freezing. Put the bulbs in a closed brown paper bag and place the bag in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 weeks. You can also purchase tulip bulbs that are "pre-cooled." Be sure to purchase from a reputable supplier who has kept the bulbs chilled in storage.
   • Plant the bulbs without chilling them first if your area has cold winters with freezing temperatures. Hold off planting until soil temperatures measured at a depth of 6 inches (15 cm), fall below 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12 C).
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   Pick a spot to grow tulips. Choose an area that receives the right amount of sun for the tulip variety you are growing. Bulbs need to be planted between 4 and 6 inches apart, so choose an appropriately sized plot.

   • Most tulips do best with full sun, or at least 6 hours of sun each day. Some varieties will also grow in partial or full shade.
   • Many people choose to plant tulips along fences, walls, walkways and buildings, as they provide a pleasant burst of color and it is easy to control their growing pattern.
   • If you wish to plant tulips in a pot, see this article for more detailed instructions.
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   Prepare the soil. Till the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 cm) and amend it by adding sand or stones, if necessary.

   • Tulips need good drainage -- wet soil can cause fungus, disease and even rotting. It can also suffocate the bulbs due to its low oxygen content. Therefore, it is recommended that you plant tulips in raised beds in very wet areas.
   • Make the soil as light and airy as possible by adding compost and coarse sand. Also be sure to remove any weeds.

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   Plant tulip bulbs. Plant the tulip bulbs 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) deep, measuring from the base of the bulb. Remember -- the larger the bulb, the deeper the hole.

   • Standard tulip planting depth is 6 inches (15 cm); but if you live in an area with a mild winter, planting the bulbs to a depth of 8 inches (20 cm) helps to keep them cooler.
   • Place the bulb into the hole, pointed end facing up. Fill the hole with soil and push down on the surface to firm it up.
   • Space tulip bulbs 5 inches (12 cm) apart. To create a tulip bed, use 5 bulbs for 1 square foot (90 square cm) of area. Plant all tulips in the bed to the same depth to ensure they all bloom together.
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   Deter rodents. If mice and other rodents are a problem in your area, place a deterrent such as holly leaves, kitty litter or gravel into the planting hole. If your rodent problem is very severe, you may need to place the bulbs in a wire cage for protection.

   See Also

   Tulips Temperature Tolerance: Optimal Range And Effects Of Extreme Temperatures | GarvilloHow Fast Do Tulip Trees Grow (Yellow Poplar Growth Rate) - EmbraceGardeningThe growing habits of tulipsEverything You Need to Grow Great Tulips - Gardening With Sharon

   • You can also put down a layer of hardware cloth to prevent squirrels and other rodents from digging the bulbs up.^[2]
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   Water the area thoroughly after all bulbs are planted. Do not water again until the plant leaves start growing. Although tulip bulbs usually dislike excess moisture, this initial watering is necessary to trigger growth.

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   Mulch the tulip bed with straw to keep the soil cool. In areas with mild winters, lay the mulch as soon as you are done planting. If you live in an area with cold winters, wait 3 to 4 weeks after planting before mulching to allow the roots to grow a little before the ground freezes.

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   Plant the tulips in the pot. Choose a pot that is at least 18 inches (46cm) in diameter and 15 inches (38cm) tall. In the pot, plant 18-22 bulbs about an inch apart. They should be almost touching each other.^[3]

   • Potted tulips are planted in the late fall at the same time as tulips in the ground.
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   Water them once after planting. Water the tulips once they have been planted. They do not need to be watered again throughout winter. Once the leaves start to grow in spring, you can start lightly watering them.^[4]

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   Shelter them during winter. Keep the tulip pots in an unheated garage, shed, or shelter during winter. Once they start sprouting in early spring, you can move them outside.^[5]

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   Wait for the tulips to bloom. Leave the tulips to their own devices over the winter months -- no need to water or fertilize them. Come springtime, the tulips will bloom in a show-stopping display of color.

   • Tulips are naturally a perennial plant, meaning that they come back year after year. However, in most of Northern America, climate and soil conditions prevent tulip bulbs from re-flowering, so they are grown as an annual.
   • If you do live in a location that allows tulips to be grown as a perennial (ideally somewhere with dry summers and cold winters), read the following instructions.

   EXPERT TIP

   

   Maggie Moran

   Home & Garden Specialist

   Maggie Moran is a Professional Gardener in Pennsylvania.

   

   Maggie Moran
   Home & Garden Specialist

   Leave your tulips in the ground to let them self-propagate. Tulip bulbs can easily multiply if they are left in the ground all year long. If you like, you can replant the new bulbs wherever you wish to grow more tulips.

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   Follow the correct watering schedule. Once the tulips start growing, you can start watering them to prevent the soil from drying out. Do not soak the soil, however, as this could damage the bulb.

   • Continue watering the plants even after they finish flowering. The tulips are still growing next year's bulbs underground. Allow the leaves and greenery to stay on the plant until they wither and die off on their own.
   • Stop watering the bulbs after all the leaves are gone and let the ground dry out. The plant is no longer nourishing the bulbs, and tulips need a dry period during the summer months.
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   Clip off the flower heads. Deadhead the tulips after the first three weeks of bloom, before the petals fall off. Falling petals that get caught in the foliage of tulips cause the plant to mold and die off before it has time to nourish the new bulbs growing underground.

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   Fertilize in fall. If you intend to grow tulips as a perennial, they should be fertilized upon planting in the fall (and every fall thereafter) with a low-nitrogen fertilizer such as well-rotted cow manure or a special bulb fertilizer.

   • If you forget to fertilize in the fall, you can also fertilize in late winter/early spring, once the first green shoots appear. Use a high nitrogen, fast-release fertilizer for best results.^[6]
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   Make cut tulips last longer. To make cut tulips last longer in a vase, cut the stems diagonally, then wrap the upper two thirds of the flower in a newspaper funnel.

   • Leave the tulips to sit in cool water for an hour or two, then remove the newspaper and re-cut the stems.^[7]
   • The tulips should stay fresh for a week.

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