Tulips have been around for centuries and are one of the world’s most favourite flower. They are associated with spring which is when they can be seen blooming but they are planted in the fall.

 

 All the fall bulbs have arrived from Holland and are in the garden centre, ready to be planted. September is the best time to plant fall bulbs including tulips as you want the bulbs to get a good root system established before the freezing temperatures set in.

Tulips are very easy to grow as the bulb contains everything it needs inside the bulb. The bulb is like a storage unit containing the flower and nutrients, and all it needs, is to be planted properly for the flower to emerge next spring.

 

The first step is choosing large, healthy, firm bulbs. Choose large bulbs as these will produce the largest flowers. Smaller bulbs tend to be less costly but they will produce smaller flowers. If you are going to spend the time in planting bulbs you may as well spend the few extra pennies to get the large flowers.

 

When planting tulip bulbs, choose a site with well drained soil as tulips do not do well in soggy or waterlogged soil. Long lasting wet conditions will cause the bulb to get diseased and rot. Also choose a sunny location, where it will receive 6 or more hours of sun each day. Keep in mind, the areas that have deciduous trees and shrubs will also be sunny because the leaves are not on the trees/shrubs yet and so these would also be good areas for the early blooming varieties of tulips.

 

Tulips make a better show in the spring when planted in groups of 5 or more, rather then singly. Dig a hole 20- 25 cm deep. Enrich the soil by adding some compost to it and then put a 2-3 cm layer of soil in the bottom of the hole. If drainage is a problem a layer of coarse sand can be added to the bottom of the hole. Next sprinkle a handful of bone meal to the hole which will help root development. Next place the bulbs in with the pointed side up, spaced 10-12 cm apart.

 

When the bulbs have all been placed, fill the hole with soil and then give it a good drink of water. The water will get rid of any air pockets and will get the bulbs to start growing. You may not need to water again, depending on the weather conditions. It is important that the soil is moist before the frost sets into the ground, so if you planted under an overhang or we end up getting a dry fall you may need to give them another good watering. Some gardeners like to mark the area where the bulbs have been planted with a plant label, so that you know which variety is planted and you know where they have been placed.

 

Next spring, new shoots will emerge from the soil. This is the time to fertilize the tulips with a bulb fertilizer. There are different varieties of tulips that come up at different times and with some planning you could have tulips blooming for weeks.

 

After the tulips have finished blooming, remove the finished flower so that the plants energy is not wasted on a seed pod. The remaining stem and foliage must be left to die back naturally, as this is the time when the bulb is making a new flower and nutrients for next year. The dying foliage can be hidden by planting tulip bulbs around perennials and shrubs or by planting annuals around the tulips.

 

Tulip bulbs can remain in the same spot for 3-4 years or until you notice that the flowers are becoming smaller. When this happens the bulbs are dug up in late July/early August after the foliage has completely died back. You will notice that there will be lots more bulbs than the original ones that were planted.

 

Air dry the bulbs for a few days and then separate the tiny bulblets from the large bulbs. The large healthy bulbs are sprinkled with bulb dust and then stored in a cool, dry space for 4-5 weeks and replanted in September. Plant them in a new location rather than where they were just dug up from. You can plant other bulbs in the old location such as daffodils. Crop rotation is beneficial, even when growing bulbs.

 

The tiny bulblets can be saved if they have a basal plate (bottom where the roots form) . If you are planning on replanting the bulblets you will not get flowers for the first couple of years as the bulb is too small to produce a flower. Plant them in the back of the flowerbed where they can get bigger and then in a couple of years time they can be dug up (following the above directions) and replanted where they can be enjoyed.