Tulip
Tulipa spp.
Other names: Garden tulip
Tulips are spring bulbs with cup-shaped flowers in almost every color. Planted in fall, they flower between March and May depending on the type. Many large hybrids bloom well for only a year or two. Species tulips and Darwin hybrids return most reliably.
How to grow tulip
Light
Plant in full sun. A spot under deciduous trees also works for early varieties, which flower before the leaves emerge.
Watering
Water once after planting. Rain is usually enough afterwards. Bulbs need dry soil in summer while dormant and rot in beds that are watered all season.
Soil and feeding
Good drainage is essential. Mix compost and coarse sand into heavy soil. Feed with a bulb fertilizer in fall and again when shoots emerge.
Planting and pruning
Plant in fall, once the soil has cooled below 60°F (15°C). Set bulbs 6 to 8 in (15–20 cm) deep, pointed end up, and 4 to 6 in apart. After flowering, snap off the seed pod but leave the foliage until it turns yellow, about six weeks. Bulbs need 12 to 14 weeks of cold, so in zones 8 and warmer refrigerate them before planting.
Propagation
Lift crowded clumps in early summer when the leaves have died back, separate the offset bulbs and replant in fall.
Common problems
- Bulbs dug up or eaten
- Squirrels, voles and deer. Cover new plantings with wire mesh or plant in buried bulb cages.
- Twisted leaves with brown, scorched patches
- Tulip fire, a botrytis disease. Remove infected plants and do not plant tulips there for three years.
- Leaves but few flowers after the first year
- Normal for many hybrids. Choose perennial types, plant deep and feed after flowering.
Questions about tulip
When should I plant tulip bulbs?
In fall, six to eight weeks before the ground freezes. That is September to October in cold regions and November to December in mild ones.
Do tulips come back every year?
Species tulips, Darwin hybrids and some Fosteriana types return for several years in well-drained soil. Many others are best replanted each fall.
Plant details
| Botanical name | Tulipa spp. |
|---|---|
| Family | Liliaceae |
| Native range | Central Asia to Turkey |
| Plant type | Bulbs. Perennial bulb, often grown as an annual |
| Soil | Fertile, sandy, well-drained soil |
| Flower color | Red, pink, yellow, orange, white, purple |
- Good cut flower
- Grows in containers
