How to Plan for Planting Tulips

Plant bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep, with the scraggly end facing downward. Keep the soil slightly moist after planting the bulbs and water occasionally during the winter if conditions are dry. Moist soil in the spring and an application of bulb fertilizer will get the flowers off to a good start.

What is the best month to plant tulip bulbs?
How many tulips can you plant together?
How do I arrange my garden bulbs?
Can I plant tulips that have already bloomed?
What happens if you plant tulips in the spring?
What is the best fertilizer for tulips?
Should I soak tulip bulbs before planting?
What should I plant over tulips?
Can I plant multiple tulip bulbs in one hole?
What happens if you plant bulbs in the spring?
Should you soak bulbs before planting?
What happens if you plant bulbs upside down?

What is the best month to plant tulip bulbs?

Tulip bulbs should be planted in the fall. The soil needs to have cooled off from the summer growing season before you plant, which could mean September in cold climates (zones 3 to 5), October in transitional climates (zones 6 to 7), and November or December in warm climates (zones 8 to 9).

How many tulips can you plant together?

Garden designers know that tulips look best when they are planted in groups of 50 or more bulbs. Plan on 9 to 12 bulbs per square foot. For a full look, put 2" to 3" of space between the bulbs. Using a 4" spacing will stretch the bulbs, but not look quite as full.

How do I arrange my garden bulbs?

Position the Bulbs Properly

Smaller bulbs, like crocus bulbs, can be planted 2 inches apart. If you're planting multiple varieties with different heights, position the taller flowers in the back of the garden, with the shorter flowers in front.

Can I plant tulips that have already bloomed?

Some are just not hardy; others have been pampered and forced into bloom leaving little vitality or endurance after blooming. Still others are fine. So it doesn't hurt to give them a chance. Your tulips should be planted as soon as the soil is workable.

What happens if you plant tulips in the spring?

Tulips Need Cold to Grow

When planting tulips in the spring, the warm soil may not allow the bulbs to break out of their dormant state and grow. For spring bulb blooms, you have to start in late winter for outdoor planting or indoors for transferring to warmer soil.

What is the best fertilizer for tulips?

The best kind of tulip bulb fertilizer will have a nutrient ratio of 9-9-6. When fertilizing tulips, you should also use a slow release fertilizer. This will ensure that nutrients are released to the tulip bulb roots continually.

Should I soak tulip bulbs before planting?

Planting depth: Plant 5" deep. Soak bulbs for 2 hours in luke warm water before planting.

What should I plant over tulips?

When combining tulips with perennials, consider some perennials that, although they may not flower at the same time as the tulips, will hide the dying and yellowing foliage of the tulips when they are finished blooming. Daylilies are a good example. Plant annuals around tulips that are just poking out of the ground.

Can I plant multiple tulip bulbs in one hole?

Tulips (Tulipa spp.), which grow in USDA hardiness zones 3 to 8, yield beautiful flowers, so you may want many of them in your garden, but planting multiple bulbs in the same hole is not recommended.

What happens if you plant bulbs in the spring?

Waiting until spring to plant the bulbs will not satisfy these requirements, so spring-planted bulbs will likely not bloom this year. ... The bulbs likely won't bloom this spring, but they may bloom later in the summer, out of their normal sequence, or they may just wait until next year to bloom at the normal time.

Should you soak bulbs before planting?

The following tips will help you grow healthy, beautiful flowers. Soak fall-planted bulbs for 12 hours in warm water before planting. ... Soaking allows suitable bulbs to absorb enough water to begin growth immediately, saving two or three weeks of time.

What happens if you plant bulbs upside down?

It will still grow, even if it's upside-down, although the plant will be unnecessarily stressed and may eventually die if left upside-down. You can always dig up the bulb after it has finished flowering to see which side the leaves have emerged from (that's the top of the bulb).