Discover essential tips for planting reliable and stunning tulips, from meeting their chilling needs to keeping critters away.
How and when to plant tulip bulbs can seem confusing to beginning gardeners.
Should you plant them in fall or can you plant tulip bulbs in spring?
Credit:Blaine Moats
How deep do they need to be?
Can you plant the bulbs in pots?
The following planting guide answers all these questions and more.
Credit: Jacob Fox
Selecting tulip bulbs can feel like information overload.
Here are a few ways to sort them out when preparing a fall order.
When planting in containers, use a high-quality potting mix and a pot with adequate drainage holes.
Terra-cotta pots look great with tulips and help regulate soil moisture levels.
Planting tulips in the ground requires preparation.
Add a layer of mulch over the soil to protect the bulbs during the winter.
Planting Depth for Tulip Bulbs
Tulip bulbs need to be buried deep.
Measure from the bottom of the bulb.
Tulips can be spaced closely.
Flower farmers pack them in shoulder to shoulder, like eggs in a carton.
Hand-operated planters, larger stand-up models, and even augurs for cordless drills are all good options.
A hand trowel works fine if you only have a few to plant.
Tulip bulbs have a definite up and a down.
Whenplanting tulips, put the bulbs in the hole pointy end up.
Placing them in the hole correctly gives them the best chance of success.
If you’re planting a bunch of tulips, dig a trench and place the bulbs.
Then, fill the trench with the removed soil.
Water and Fertilizer Needs
Tulips are bulbs, so frequent watering and wet soil can cause problems.
However, long dry spells or arid climates may need additional water in the fall.
After foliage appears in the spring, water once every week or two if it hasnt rained.
Tulips that are dug up and composted after blooming dont need spring fertilization.
If you missed the prime window, get them in the ground as soon as possible.
You may still get some blooms, even if they are small.
If you want to plant tulips that return reliably year after year, look for varieties recommended for naturalizing.
Growing tulips indoors in pots usesa technique called forcingtricking the bulb and plant into blooming.
Forcing is an easy way to add bright color to the house when late winter is looking drab.
