This year, welcome the fantastic fall by brightening your garden space with tulips. Enjoy the pleasant weather with these brightly colored flowers. Tulips usually emerge from the ground in early spring or late winter. Unseasonable mild weather can generally lead to premature growth of tulip bulbs in late winter. However, you must know that tulips are cold-tolerant. The growth might take a downfall with freezing temperatures, but the situation becomes helpful with snow. Snow can insulate the foliage from cold.
Plant in the Fall
Tulip bulbs are planted in the autumnal season just before the ground starts freezing. Tulips come in separate varieties with different bloom times. You can easily get these tulip bulbs for sale, they bloom from early to late spring. Some of these tulip bulbs are good for indoor blooming, while others are good for the exterior. If you plan to get them planted in your garden, here are some tips for you.
These flowers are usually cup-shaped, they have three petals along with three sepals. You can start picking up tulips for any setting. Some species are small, especially for naturalized woodland areas, and some are for large tulips for formal garden plantings. You can use them from beds to borders. These flowers can be single or double and vary in shape, including simple cups, goblets, and bowls. The plant’s height ranges from 7 inches to 2 feet.
Planting Tulips: When to Plant
- As mentioned earlier, plant the bulbs in autumn, usually six weeks before the ground frosting. The bulbs take time to grow. Planting early generally leads to problems.
- Follow a thumb rule to plant these bulbs when the nighttime temperature is average in the area.
- In the northern climate (cold), plant in the months of September or October. Warmer climates allow you to plant bulbs in December.
- Plant these bulbs in the southern climate with moderate climatic conditions in late November or early December. Allow these tubes to chill in the refrigerator for around 12 weeks prior to planting.
Choosing the Planting Site
- Tulips are planted in a site with proper afternoon sun. For zones 7 and 8, you can select a shady site. Tulips are resistant to heat.
- Soil needs to be neutral to acidic, dry, fertile, well-drained, or sandy. Tulips usually dislike regions with excessive moisture.
- Tall forms need to be sheltered from gusty winds.
- Spacing bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart to select enough planting sites.
- You can organize the garden bed by using a tiller or garden fork to loosen the soil to a certain depth of around 15 inches. After this, mix it in a 2 to 4-inch layer of compost.
Growing Tulips: How to Grow
- Do not water if it rains every week. If it doesn’t rain or is a dry spell, remember to water the bulbs every week until the ground freezes.
- Irrigation systems, excessive rains, and wetlands are death to tulip bulbs. Don’t water the bulb bed unless it is an extreme situation.
- Apply compost once a year to provide nutrients for future blooms.
