Planting Tulips

There are many varieties of tulips with various shapes, colors, sizes and bloom times. Select varieties with different bloom times to extend the season.

To get the best display of tulips, plant them in clusters rather than rows.

Decide when you want flowers to bloom in each area you want to plant, and select various colors, shapes and sizes of tulips to plant.

Grow tall varieties for cutting, mixed in with various other heights to keep your garden beds in bloom throughout the season. When purchasing your bulbs, identify the bloom time and the height as well as shapes and colors to get the correct tulips for your setting.

Locations for Planting Tulips

Tulips are beautiful planted in small or large clusters of a single variety.

Mixed varieties can be planted between perennials and annuals that will bloom later and cover up their yellowing leaves.

You can create a naturalized setting with a flow of tulips in a section of the lawn and replace them later with annuals.

Growing them in front of foundation plantings adds a pop of spring color to green foliage, which may bloom later in the season.

By selecting bloomers for different times, you can have six to eight weeks of tulips leading into blooms from late spring and summer.

With good planning, you can create a continuous display of color in your landscape.

Best Time for Planting Tulips

Plant new bulbs in the fall, at least a month before the ground freezes. Find an area that is sunny to partly shady.

In warm climates with mild winters, treat the bulbs as annuals, as the bulbs need a cold period of several weeks to produce flowers.

Check that the pH of the soil is between 6 and 6.5, and add amendments if needed. Soil should be well drained.

Most growers suggest burying the bulbs two to three inches deep, but that usually means two to three inches above the top of the bulb and works best for annual plantings.

For best results, plant large bulbs 8-10 inches deep, and 5-6 inches apart, and smaller bulbs 5-6 inches deep and 2-3 inches apart.

Shallow planting will result in successful blooms the first year, but decreasing success each year thereafter.

Fertilize them if you are not planning to dig them up after they bloom. Otherwise, the bulb contains enough nutrients for its first year's bloom. Let the beds remain dry through summer, when the bulbs are dormant.

Caring for Tulips

Deadhead spent blooms to encourage next year's growth and let the foliage turn yellow and die down before cutting it back.

Deep planting, deadheading and allowing leaves to remain on the plant will encourage healthy growth for next year.

Shallow planting and removing leaves as soon as the flower is spent is best for tulips treated as annuals.

If you leave your tulip bulbs in the ground, fertilize them in early spring.

This is also when aphids may become a problem. Wash them off with a gentle spray of the garden house.

A fungal disease may be to blame for sudden wilting of the plants. Dig up and destroy the bulb to prevent spreading of the infection.

Deeper planting helps prevent this problem. If the flowers appear twisted or collapsed, remove and destroy them, but not the bulbs. Other than these few problems, caring for tulips is an easy chore.

With the enormous variety of colors, shapes and sizes, and the various bloom times available, planting tulips is a good idea for a beautiful spring in any landscape.