Tulips 101:all you need to know. I absolutely love tulips mostly because I love spring. It’s my favorite season and tulips are a big part of that. They come in thousands (3000 registered!) of varieties and have so many different colors and petal shapes. Fun fact; tulips will follow the sun even after they are cut and put in a vase, meaning they turn their petals towards the light. They are such a cool flower.
About Tulips
- Considered ANNUAL & PERENNIAL
- Technically they are a perennial because they will come back but the blooms aren’t as good as the first year. Because of this, many gardeners treat them as an annual and replant new tulips each fall.
- Zone 3-7. Tulips need 12 weeks in the cold to do their best
- Full sun 6+ hours a day
- Slightly acidic soil (pH 6.0-6.5)
- Blooms all spring depending on the variety. Some bloom earlier than others
- Depending on variety, can be anywhere from 6″-24″ tall
- Well drained soil
- Bulb
- Can be susceptible to botrytis blight and bulb rot. Prone to slug, snail, and aphid damage. Deer, squirrels, voles and mice love them
- Fragrant depending on variety
- Excellent cut flower with relatively long vase life
- Can be grown in the ground or in a deep pot/container.
Maintenance
- Must be planted in the fall or purchase already planted.
- Plant bulbs 8″ deep
- If planted in clay or water holding soil, the bulbs may rot. They don’t need to be irrigated often.
- Fertilize with bone meal in the spring
- Deadhead the flowers
- Don’t cut back leaves until they turn yellow and wilt
Perennial Varieties
- Darwin hybirds
- Emperor
- Wildflower (Greigii and Kaufmanniana)
- Fosteriania
Reproduction
Tulips are bulbs. They reproduce after the flower has bloomed and died, leaving the nourishment for the mother bulb to form up to 5 daughter bulbs.
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