Tulips are spring bulbs and are among the easiest to grow, so don't worry—the most important thing is to buy really high-quality bulbs and get them into the ground at the right time, then success is guaranteed! There is a huge number of types and colors, from green, twisted parrot tulips to double-flowered ones that resemble peonies or roses.

Tulips are planted differently in a flower garden and differently here on our flower farm, where we harvest thousands of tulips for cutting, but don't worry, we'll show you both ways.

When to plant tulips

Tulips are planted in autumn, mid-September to late October is ideal.

We do not recommend planting tulips too late, as there is a risk they won't have enough time to take root before winter; the same applies in reverse, do not plant tulips before September either.

How and where to plant

If you are planning to plant tulips to enjoy the view in your garden, in our opinion they definitely look best in larger numbers together, so plant bulbs in groups rather than here and there individually. When choosing, we also recommend picking fewer types, but a larger quantity of bulbs, so that the planting is as dense as possible. In any case, find a place where there is full sun in spring and, most importantly, where water does not stagnate long-term.

What we will need

For planting tulips, the tools you already have in the garden are more than enough — a spade and a small trowel. There is no need for any bulb planter, baskets, or other gadgets. Besides tools, we will need sand and compost.

Adding sand to flower beds

If you have heavy soil where water holds, we definitely recommend thoroughly mixing sand into the soil. You don't have to buy expensive silica sand, just take whatever sand you have on hand (from a sandbox), or reach for the most ordinary one like construction sand¹. Mix the sand with the soil so that it is permeable, water drains away, and doesn't get stuck. If water were to sit in the beds for a long time, the tulip bulbs would rot, and we wouldn't see any flowers in the spring.

¹ Construction sand 0 - 4 mm

Compost

It is good to incorporate a thin layer of compost at the bottom of the bed; it is always better to use your own compost than one from an industrial composting plant, and it should definitely be at least a year old; do not use fresh manure or fresh chicken droppings.

Procedure

If you have heavy, impermeable soil in your garden, we recommend mixing sand into the flower beds. Simply mix the sand with the soil in a 1:4 ratio, one part sand to 4 parts soil. We recommend mixing a little compost into the bottom of the dug hole.

If you are expecting a harsh winter, you can mulch the tulip bed with straw, for example, but we recommend removing it as soon as the tulips start sprouting in the spring so they don't have to grow through it.

To dig or not to dig

This is a question that divides all gardeners.

Don't dig

Not digging up tulips and leaving them in the same place for several years works; just be careful that after cutting the stem in the spring (for a vase), at least 2 bottom leaves remain, as they will naturally die back and that is how the bulb will take in all the necessary nutrients for the next year. If your tulips are blooming in the garden and you are not harvesting them for a vase, cut off the flower after it blooms, this way the tulip will direct its energy into the bulb rather than into producing seeds. Next year the tulips will bloom again in the same spot.

Dig up

However, you can also dig up the bulbs every year after they finish blooming; you will see that individual tulip bulbs have multiplied and you can replant them in the autumn. There is less risk of them getting lost in the bed or burrowing irrecoverably deep. Again, if you are harvesting a tulip for a vase, leave at least 2 bottom leaves; if you are letting the tulips bloom in the garden, cut off the flower so the tulip directs its energy into the bulb, not into seeds.

The next year

In both cases, you need to count on the fact that tulips will not bloom as lushly the next year as they did the first year. The bulb gradually gets exhausted, and it takes a few years for newly multiplied bulbs to grow to a decent size.

Our tip

For us, the best way is to rotate tulips, which means digging up the tulip bulbs every year after they have dried, separating them, and planting them in a new place in the garden. At the same time, you can also buy new bulbs and plant them together. The following year, do the same: dig up, separate, and plant in a new place. We recommend returning to the original spot only after 3 years. This way, you avoid diseases and pests. In general, crop rotation in the garden is a good practice; you minimize soil depletion, diseases, and pests.

Frequently asked questions

When to plant tulips?

Tulips are planted in autumn, mid-September to late October is ideal.

When to dig up tulips?

You can take out the tulips as soon as the leaves turn yellow and dry out. Usually, that is in June.

How deep to plant tulips?

We recommend planting tulips 10 - 15 cm deep, simply the height of 3 bulbs stacked on top of each other.

How far apart?

2 - 3 cm, just make sure they don't touch, similar to an egg carton. If you don't plan on digging up the tulips, choose a larger distance (5 - 10 cm).

How many tulips will fit in my garden?

Calculate approximately 100 tulips per 1 m².

How to store bulbs?

Store tulip bulbs at room temperature in a well-ventilated room.

How we grow tulips at our place — on the flower farm

If you are a flower farm and will be growing tulips purely as a cut flower, the guide differs slightly. It differs in how you plant the bulbs, how you harvest the tulips, and finally, in what stage you harvest them. Flower farms grow tulips as annuals.

At our farm, we plant tens of thousands of tulips every year, and because we have limited space, we plant them very densely. We choose a spot where water doesn't pool and where the soil is beautifully loose. Our farm is slightly on a slope, so we never plant tulips in the lowest-lying beds.

Our beds are 90 cm wide and 14 m long. Along the entire length of the bed, we dig to a depth of 10 to 15 cm. Into a bed dug this way, we plant one tulip next to the other, at most 2 - 3 cm apart; in a moment, we have a complete tulip carpet.

We generously water all the planted tulips and then cover them with the soil dug out earlier. Be careful not to cover the bulbs with a large layer; just the height of one to two bulbs is enough. It will speed up your harvest in the spring. If you have harsh winters and worry that the tulip bulbs might freeze, you can cover the beds with straw (or non-woven fabric), which you remove in the spring as soon as they start sprouting.

We harvest tulips with the bulb, as it will supply nutrients to the tulip for the entire duration of storage. As soon as we want to use the tulip in a bouquet, we cut off the bulb and put the stem in water to "drink" (hydrate). We buy new tulip bulbs every year, as these exhausted ones from the cooler won't produce decent flowers anymore. We couldn't help ourselves, and of course, we tested it, and indeed, next year only a dwarf tulip blooms from such bulbs.

We harvest tulips as soon as we can tell the color at the bud. For double-flowered tulips, it is a little later. After harvest, we fix the tulip with the bulb in a vertical position, and it goes to a cooling room where we have the temperature set to 0° to 2°C. This way, we can store a tulip for several more weeks without it having any effect on its quality.