Dig , drop , done ! Find out how to constitute and grow tulips that will light up your garden in spring .
Marty Baldwin
Nothing says spring like a patch of brightly colored tulips . Tulips arefall - planted bulbs , much like daffodils , alliums , and crocuses . With so many tulip varieties , produce any color design you pipe dream of is potential . Tulips can be categorise as early , mid , or late spring bloomers , and planting some of each unfold your tulip enjoyment for as long as six weeks .
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Whiletulips are perennial , they ’ve been breed for hundreds of years to be at their estimable their first year . Many tulip bloom ill in subsequent saltation and are substantially interchange with new stock . However , some tulip are suitable for use as perennials and are identified as such by marketer .
If there are particular type of tulip your heart is set on , order your bulbs early because the most popular variety often trade out . Even if you buy them early , marketer will hold back to embark them when the planting time is correct . But if you are looking for bargains , waiting until later in the season can result in some deep discounts on tulip bulbs .
Where to Plant Tulips
When picking a spot to works tulip , remember they need ripe drain , loamy soil , and full sun . And , do keep in mind they are utterly a deer magnet . Many bright tulip agriculturalist have planted tulips in the fall with high expectation , only to see them decimate in leap and never see a bloom . If you havedeer issuesin your garden , your tulips mayneed to be fencedor grown in tummy on the pack of cards .
To project a tulip bed or border , take hold of colored pencil and describe forget me drug using the colors of your tulip . spiel with which colors you care next to each other . A words of tulips is n’t as showy as a teardrop or an arc .
Tulips also do well planted in containers . pick out a deep pot with drain fix . Since they wo n’t engross the plantation owner for long once they sprout , tulips in planter can be crowd in for a dense display of prime .
Credit:Nathan Kirkman
How and When to Plant Tulips
While planting tulip can be distilled down to the phrase " dig , drop , done , " there ’s a little more to make love about planting the bulbs the right way . tulip involve a period of chilling , called vernalization , to bloom so it ’s best toplant tulip bulb in the fallfor spring blooms in locations with moth-eaten winters . But tulip fans inUSDA Hardiness Zone 7 or warmermay require to purchase pre - chilled bulb . Most varieties need cool temperatures for about three calendar month to bloom reliably .
endeavor to planttulip bulbsabout two to three weeks after yourfirst Robert Frost escort . They can be planted later but must be in the priming before it freezes . The complete sentence is when the pin weather arrives for good , and temperatures are 40 ° F to 50 ° F during the sidereal day .
Nathan Kirkman
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Tulip Care Tips
tulip are generally light to grow in both garden beds and containers , particularly if you just need to enjoy the flowers for one season . Here ’s what tulip postulate to thrive :
Light
Tulips reach their turgid size when planted infull sun , but they also grow well in fond sun . In many areas , they are done blooming before deciduous trees flick out , so location that would be shady in summertime can be good sites for spring tulips .
Soil and Water
Tulips need asite with skillful drainage , whether planted in the basis or in container . ascertain the drainage hole on tummy and planters to guarantee they are open .
Loosen the soil 6 - 12 inches deep , count on the size of the bulbs . Larger sort of tulips postulate rich soil bed than dwarf sizes . Work in some compost . When institute tulips in pots , any high - lineament potting land will go .
water system tulip bulb after plant , and then provide them alone until leap . An exception is if you have an unco ironic late fall or early springiness and the priming becomes dry . passing arid stain conditions can commence dehydrating bulbs , but it ’s not usually an issue . After they pop up in spring , irrigate them every workweek or two if the dirt feels dry an inch down .
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
Temperature and Humidity
Tulips pop up in early spring and offer some of the first colour in the garden , but they pass forth as summer go far . They thrive in cool weather and 40–60 % humidness .
Fertilizer
Tulips do n’t require fertilizer , but a boost of a general - purpose fertilizer in natural spring , justly as they pop from the ground , can be helpful . practice a top dressing of compost in autumn after planting works well .
Pests and Problems
Besides deer , which are infamous for munch on tulips , squirrels and other rodent can dig up tulip bulb and stash them for a midwinter snack . To outfox them , incubate the planted area with computer hardware fabric or chicken wire and murder it once the electric-light bulb pop to pop up up in spring . A spray made of diluted blistering sauce also works ; spray the medulla oblongata before planting and earmark it to dry . Red capsicum pepper plant flakes sprinkled in the holes and near the top at planting time discourage hollow gnawer .
Wet background and poor drain cause problems for most bulbs , including tulip . If they stay on marshy for long , the light bulb are susceptible to rot . If your ground is typically wet over winter , take making araised bedfor your tulips .
Types of Tulips
take off perusing the page of tulip marketer , and you ’ll quickly be amazed ( or overwhelmed ) at the plain act of styles and colors . stock breeder have been working for century to bring young coloring material , form , and pattern to gardener . tulip are often sort into a few main types , include :
Species Tulips
small-scale and well suitable to naturalizing , species tulipsare the most recurrent of all tulip . They are sometimes called wild flower tulip or wild tulip and are pure for a less stately setting like a tilt garden or a meadow . There are several dissimilar species of tulips;Tulipa turkestanicais one metal money shown here .
Darwin Hybrids
The most popular of all tulip varieties , Darwin tulip are cross with large , showy bloom and the classic tulip shape ( unmarried late ' Dreamland ' mixture shown here ) . They are dependable bloomers with tenacious stem unadulterated for shortened bloom bouquets . In cold climates , they may come back for two or three years .
Parrot Tulips
Not your everyday tulip , parrot tulips have ruffled or slew petals , giving the impression of feathers , hence the name ( ' flame Parrot ' shown here ) . Vibrant , happen upon colors add to the stunning display . Parrot tulip bloom a little by and by than many others , extending the color in your tulip bed .
Lily-Flowered Tulips
Slender stanch prevail blush of pointed petals resemble a lily set these tulips aside from the typical tulip flush ( ' Ballade ' testify here ) . From above , the blooms have a star shape and can be quite large . Lily - flowered tulips are well suitable for container plantings .
Tulip Companion Plants
Tulip peak mingle beautifully with many other spring - flowering industrial plant . Here are a few popular choices , depend on whether you want their blossom to cooccur or occur in succession .
Daffodil
Cheerydaffodilsare fantabulous for naturalizing , and if you plan on maturate repeated tulips , combining them with daffodil is a great way to add color to your spring palette . Once you plant daffodil , they ’ll return year after year and even multiply . Like tulips , early , mid , and late - season daffodil varieties are useable to keep the prime come for month .
Crocus
Crocusesare often the first spring light bulb to blossom , unremarkably beating tulips by a twain of weeks . The blooms are midget and primer - petting and come in whitened , yellow , orangish , blue , and majestic colors . They ’re light to set en masse and can last for years .
Peony
Kindra Clineff
Peoniesbloom after most tulips . They ’re hardy , low maintenance , and will continue the spring colouration into other summertime . Peonies are esteem cut bloom and make adorable , long - go bouquets , too . They like the same prolific soil and sunshine that tulips prefer . sample planting tulip in groups around your peony plant in complementary shade .
Frequently Asked Questions
When they startle to show coloring material but are not yet in full open , tulips are ready for the vase . When reap at the right degree , they ’ll last in a redolence for a week or more .
If you are n’t grow tulips as perennial , pulling them up or cut back the foliage when the blooming is done is okay . Naturalized tulip grown as perennials need to keep their leaves entire to store energy for the following year in their medulla . allow their leaves course decline in fall , and then remove the old growth .
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: David Speer
Credit:Kindra Clineff
