How to Plant, Grow, and Care for White Tulip Flower
Long live the tulip! These beautiful jewels brighten our days in spring. We truly look forward to seeing those blue-green leaves start to emerge as the earth awakens from its winter sleep! Here are our tips on how to grow and care for tulips.
Tulips usually begin to emerge from the ground in late winter or early spring. If unusually mild weather causes early winter growth, the danger is not as great as it seems. Tulips (and daffodils, too) tolerate cold quite well. However, if freezing winter temperatures return, it can slow growth. Snow is really helpful in this case, as it can insulate the foliage from the harsh cold.
Plant in the fall to bloom in the spring!
Tulip bulbs are planted in the fall, 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes. By planting varieties with different bloom times, you can have tulips that bloom from early to late spring. Some are great for forcing blooms indoors and most are great to use as cut flowers.
Tulips are usually cup-shaped with three petals and three sepals. There’s an assortment of tulips for every setting, from small “species” tulips in naturalized woodland areas to larger tulips suitable for full-fledged garden planting from beds to borders. The upright flowers can be single or double and come in different shapes, from simple cups, bowls and cups to more complex ones. Height ranges from 6 inches to 2 feet. One tulip flower grows on each stem, with two to six broad leaves on each plant.
Tulips are annuals or perennials?
Although tulips are technically a perennial, centuries of hybridization have meant that the bulbs’ ability to flower again every year has weakened. Therefore, many gardeners consider them annuals, planting new bulbs each fall. The climate and soil of North America cannot reproduce the ancient conditions of the Anatolians and southern Russia when they were born. Gardeners in the western mountain regions of the United States approach the closest to this climate and may be more successful in growing their perennial tulips.
Planting
Tulips prefer a location with full sun or afternoon sun. In Zones 7 and 8, choose a shady spot or a spot with only morning sun, as tulips don’t like much heat.
The soil should be well drained, neutral to slightly acidic, fertile and dry or sandy. All tulips do not like areas with excessive humidity. Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch-thick layer of compost.
Tall varieties should be sheltered from strong winds.
When to plant tulips
Plant tulip bulbs in the fall, 6 to 8 weeks before a hard, freezing frost on the ground is expected. The bulbs take time to set up on their own. Planting too early leads to disease problems. See local frost date.
A good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs when the average nighttime temperature in your area is 40 degrees.
In colder northern climates, plant in September or October. In warmer climates, plant bulbs in December (or even later).
To find the best dates, refer to our fall planting chart.
Nature never intended to leave tubers hanging above the ground, so don’t delay planting bulbs after purchase.
In southern climates with mild winters, plant bulbs in late November or December. Tubers will need to be chilled in the refrigerator for about 12 weeks before planting. (Light bulb suppliers also often offer pre-cooled bulbs for sale.)
If you miss planting bulbs at the optimal time, don’t wait until next spring or fall. Tubers are not like seeds. Even if you find a bunch of tulips or daffodils that haven’t been planted in January or February, plant them and take your chance. See more about how to grow tulips in the winter.
How to grow tulips
Plant the bulbs fairly deep—8 inches deep, or about three times the height of the bulbs. Dig a deeper hole to loosen the soil and allow drainage. Instead, in clay soil, plant 3 to 6 inches deep.
Space the bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart.
Place the bulb in the hole with the pointed end facing up. Fill with soil and press firmly.
Water the bulbs immediately after planting. Although not tolerant of wet feet, tubers need water to trigger growth.
If you are going to grow perennial tulips, fertilize them with a balanced fertilizer when planting in the fall. Tubers are their own complete storage system and contain all the nutrients needed for a year. Use organic material, compost or a balanced time-release tuber feed.
To keep mice and moles away—if they are a problem—put holly or any other thorny leaves in the planting hole. Some gardeners use kitten litter or gravel. If hamsters and aggressive rodents are a real problem, you may need to take stronger measures, such as growing bulbs in a buried wire cage.
Don’t lose hope if you plant tulips at the end of the season—just follow these tips.
If it rains weekly, do not water. However, if there is a dry spell and it doesn’t rain, you should water the bulbs weekly until the ground freezes.
Summer rains, irrigation systems and wet soil are death for tulips. Never intentionally water the potting bed unless there is a drought. Moist soil leads to fungus and disease and can rot the tubers. Add shredded pine bark, sand, or any other coarse material to the soil to promote rapid drainage.
Fertilize with an organic fertilizer every year to provide the nutrients needed for future blooms.
In the spring, when leaves appear, feed your tulips the same tuber or bone meal you used when growing. One country.
Tulips die as soon as they pass, but don’t pluck the leaves!
Leave the leaves on the plant for about 6 weeks after flowering. Tulips need their foliage to gather energy for next year’s blooms! After the foliage turns yellow and dies back, it can be pruned.
Large varieties may need replanting every few years; Smaller types often multiply and spread on their own.
- ‘Cracker’ tulip: purple, pink, and lilac petals; midseason bloomer
- ‘Ile de France’: red blooms on stems to 20 inches tall; midseason bloomer
- ‘Marilyn’: large, ruffled, candy cane-color flower; late-season bloomer
- ‘Spring Green’: creamy-white petals feathered with green; late-season bloomer
- ‘Renown’: hot pink, egg-shape flower; late-season bloome
Wild, or “species,” tulips are small in size, ranging in height from 3 to 8 inches. They are tougher than hybrids. Rock and herb gardens are ideal places to plant them. They look stunning when planted in large groupings.
- For early to midspring bloom time: Tulipa bakeri, T. batalinii, T. humilis, T. kaufmanniana, T. turkestanica
- For later blooming time: T. linifolia, T. neustreuvae, T. sprengeri, T. vvedenskyi
- For multicolor varieties: T. biflora, T. greigii ‘Quebec’, T. praestans ‘Fusilier’ and ‘Unicum’, T. tarda, T. turkestanica
- For a container: T. kaufmanniana ‘Goudstuk’
- For (mottled) foliage: T. greigii (mottled or striped), T. fosteriana ‘Juan’, T. kaufmanniana ‘Heart’s Delight’
- For fragrance: T. aucheriana, T. biflora, T. saxatilis, T. sylvestris, T. turkestanica
- For warmer regions: Lady tulip (T. clusiana), Candia tulip (T. saxatilis), and Florentine tulip (T. sylvestris) overwinter in the South or mild-winter areas of the West (Zones 8 to 10) without the need of a chilling period
There are so many beautiful varieties of tulips. Explore catalogs and experiment in your garden!
HARVESTING
Cut the tulips just before the buds open completely. Leave some foliage behind to build up energy in the bulb for next year’s growth. Cut back the stems at an angle before placing them in a vase. Tulips continue to grow after being cut and they are “light-oriented”, towards the light. Rotate the jar daily to keep the stem upright.
Change the water daily and the tulips will last about 7 days in the vase. To make the vase last at least a week, cut the stems diagonally and wrap the top 2/3 of the stems (with flowers) in a newspaper funnel. Soak in cool water until funnel 1 to 2 hours, cut off stalks and place in fresh water.
WIT AND WISDOM
Tulips, and the word for them, come from the Far East: “tulip” from the Turkish word for “turban”, tülbent, comes from the Persian word dulband, meaning “round”.
Did you know: If you dig up a tulip bulb in late summer, it may not be the one you planted last fall. That’s her daughter. Even when the tulips are in bloom, the bulb is dividing for the next generation.
In the Netherlands in the 17th century, the new tulip species became so popular and popular that a handful of bulbs cost about $44,000.
Red tulips symbolize a declaration of love. Discover more meanings of flowers here.
