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Top FAQs about Tulips
Growing tulips in warm climates
I live in USDA Climate Hardiness Zone 10 and would like to grow tulips. I understand I need to chill them first. How do I do this?
Place the tulip bulbs in paper bags and store in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator (away from fruits) for at least 8 weeks. Plan ahead so they will be ready to plant in late November or December, after the soil has had time to cool down a little. Choose a sunny or partly shady spot. Spread 2 to 3 inches of organic matter over the bed and mix it in to a depth of 8 to10 inches. To keep the bulbs as cool as possible, plant them on the deep side—8 to 10 inches deep. Tulips in warm climates don't always perform well the second year, so you might treat them as annuals.
Tulips starting to grow in the fall
In September, I planted some tulips. In mid-October I noticed that some of them were starting to grow. Should I be protecting them from cold?
As long as they have been planted properly, tulips are very cold tolerant. Generally, they should be set so that there is 4 to 6 inches of soil on top of the bulb. Although occasionally they may sprout in the fall, when the weather turns cold they'll stop growing until it warms up again next spring.
Layering bulbs
What does "layering" bulbs mean?
Layering a bulb planting allows you to plant lots of bulbs in a small space, but it takes some thought to make it work well. Basically it means planting different kinds of bulbs at different depths in the soil. For example, you might layer tulips and crocus to provide an early bloom of crocus followed by a later bloom of the larger tulips, which will hide the ripening crocus foliage. To create this effect, plant the tulip bulbs about 5 inches deep and the crocus bulbs about 3 inches deep.
Planting forced tulips outdoors
I received some forced tulips as a gift. After they have finished blooming, can I plant them outside?
Generally, forced tulip bulbs do not perform well in the ground after having been forced. However, you can give it a try; here's how: Keep the pot in a cool, bright spot and let the foliage die down naturally. Then lift the bulbs and allow them to dry. Store them in a cool, dry, dark, and airy place where they are not accessible to mice, squirrels, and other rodents. In fall, it's best to plant the bulbs about six weeks before the ground freezes, so they will have time to settle in and begin developing roots.
Perennial tulip beds
I would like to plant an informal bed of tulips that will keep coming back year after year. What is the best type of tulip bulb to plant?
The Darwins will last for several years, especially if they are planted at the deeper end of their suggested planting depth. However, the longest-lived types are the smaller and earlier-blooming fosteriana, kaufmanniana and greigii types. These will last longest if planted in full sun and well-drained soil. Deadheading, or removing the spent flowers, helps the bulbs conserve energy by preventing them from setting seed.
Tulips droop in vase
Several days ago, I received an arrangement of tulips from a florist. The flowers are lovely, but they are drooping. Am I doing something wrong?
Interestingly, tulips continue growing in the vase, sometimes gaining up to an inch in height. As they grow, they naturally bend and twist toward sources of light. The effect of gravity on the flowers also contributes to the bending. Professional floral designers expect this movement and create their arrangements accordingly. Check out the bending tulips in the still-life paintings of 17th-century Dutch painters, and you'll see that you haven't done anything wrong!
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© 2001 National Gardening Association
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