When to Plant Tulip Bulbs? Which Varieties to Choose? Learn Now
When to plant tulip bulbs? What space should we offer them in the garden? How to do it? Which varieties of tulips to choose?
Table of Contents
Where and When to Plant Tulip Bulbs?
Please note that all varieties of tulips thrive in a sunny, sheltered location as well as in well-drained soil. To put all the chances on your side, we recommend planting them behind perennial plants in a border. Likewise, consider improving heavy clay or sandy soils by incorporating plenty of well-rotted organic matter before planting. If, despite everything, your soil remains particularly heavy, it is a good idea to add horticultural gravel to the bottom of the planting hole. To plant them, you generally need between 6 and 8 weeks before the first frost. This of course depends on the climate in your region.
Indeed, the bulbs need time to take their bearings and become established. When to plant flower bulbs? Although it is true that they can be planted from mid-October, the month of November is still considered the optimal period because it is when the risk of fungal diseases is lowest. If you are lucky enough to reside in a milder area, then you can afford to plant tulip bulbs until January. In this case, don’t worry, your tulips will bloom in spring without any worries.
How to Plant Them Easily?
There’s nothing complicated about planting your bulbs, you’ll see. Here is the simple step-by-step procedure:
- Dig a planting hole using a garden trowel or bulb planter.
- Place the bulb in the hole, pointed end facing up.
- Plant tulips 20 cm/0.65 ft. deep or about three times the height of the bulbs, leaving about 5 cm/0.16 ft between each bulb.
- Cover them with soil.
- Press firmly on the ground.
We advise you to plant the bulbs en masse to obtain good results. Also, remember to water them after planting. Indeed, they need water to trigger their growth, while they also dislike humidity. For those who would like to grow perennial tulips, it is essential to offer them a balanced fertilizer when planting in fall. An important tip: put holly or any other thorny leaves in the planting holes to keep moles or other mice away from your beautiful plants.
Also read: A Guide to Garden Bulbs for Beginners: Learn How to Take Care of Bulbous Plants All Year Round!
When to Plant Tulip Bulbs? How to Combine Them?
There are so many varieties of tulips that you can vary in colours as you like. Here are some inspirations ideas for beautiful combinations:
- Yellow tulips, yellow daffodils with white ones to catch the eye.
- Double orange tulips, double yellow daffodils with an orange heart and white forget-me-nots for a graceful touch.
- Combine tulips with white pansies, white daffodils, white forget-me-nots for a touch of elegance.
- Create your own shades of pink by combining single and double tulips in different pink tones.
Now let’s have a closer look at our top 3 favourite tulips!
Double Tulips
Double tulips are characterized by double flowers similar to peonies. Flowering is generally quite late. Among them, one of our favourite cultivars is called Black Hero. It has a dark purple, almost black bloom. This tulip variety is particularly majestic and elegant thanks to its double petals and its unique colour. In addition, the sun beautifies it by making it reflect. We also like Blue Diamond, which also turns out to be quite dense with its pretty mauve pink shade. Not to spoil anything, but this cultivar also has the advantage of a long flowering period.
Lace Tulips
Our second choice is lace tulips. They are nicely chiselled on the edges with very original flowers despite flowering a bit late in April-May. In summary, their chic and elegant look is really popular. Let us cite, among others, the following cultivars:
- The Canasta is finely serrated and mainly red, bordered with white, which looks great in flowerbeds or in bouquets.
- The Lambada and its simple and luminous flowering, offering us with its bright petals tinted with more or less deep orange.
Triumph Tulips
To finish our top 3, we chose the Tulipa triumph. It possesses the particularity of having flowers in straight cups and is the result of a cross between early single tulips and Darwin tulips. It’s very simple. These are the tulips that we see the most and which bloom early in March. This variety is more resistant and solid than the simple ones, which also makes it one of the most planted and most used species for making bouquets. A good choice, in our humble opinion!
Also read: Pretty Trees, Flowers & Shrubs for an Orange Garden in Autumn
