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Life Cycle of a Tulip
Tips for Growing Tulips
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Best Time To Plant Tulips
Best Time To Plant Tulips
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Tulips are one of the most popular of the spring flowering bulbs, and for good reason. They are available in a vast array of colors, shapes and sizes and require little care after planting. The tulip is native to Europe and Asia. The name, tulip, is a corruption of the Arabic word for "turban" which refers to the shape of the flower.
Caring for tulips begins when you receive your bulbs by mail or buy them from the garden center. Store them in a cool, dry place in a mesh bag until you are ready to plant. The bulbs should be planted from four to eight inches deep and a similiar distance apart. Plant them much shallower and you may be providing chipmunks and mice with a meal, and you will have no flowers. Deeper, and the bulbs will multiply less, but flower more. Plant them no deeper than twelve inches deep, in any case. The tulip will be happiest in full sun, but can tolerate as little as five hours of sun a day. Topdress them in the spring with a garden fertilizer.
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The following spring tulips will emerge and bloom with no further care. The leaf tips may begin to emerge very early, when it is still pretty cold. Don't worry, these plants can take the cold, as long as it doesn't get too extreme. Or if a layer of snow covers them, as this will protect the plants from very cold temperatures. When the buds emerge in in early spring, don't worry about light frosts, as the plants can withstand these as long as the buds are still tight. If extreme cold hits and you want to cover them, use a light blanket, spun bond fabric, or sheet. Do not use plastic as this will do more harm than good.
Do not cut the foliage after bloom. The bulb need the food the leaves will manufacture until the plant becomes dormant in mid summer.
After two to three years, the blooms may decline and the plants become smaller. It is time to dig them and replant the bed. Dig them after the foliage has yellowed and died in the summer. Dry the bulbs in a dark, cool, dry area and then store them in a mesh bag in a similiar environment.
There will be smaller bulblets surrounding the larger bulbs when you dig them. These may be planted, too, but will require about three years to bloom. You may also save some of the bulbs for forcing in the spring. Pot them and store them in a cold frame or other place where the pots will be exposed to cold, but protected at the same time. After Christmas the pots can be moved to a warm, sunny window and the plants will emerge and bloom. Tulips really need little care after planting to ensure bloom. They may be short lived due to climat and soil conditions or the fact that many rodents like to snack on the fleshy bulbs.
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