Planting tulips is a must-do on my fall backyard duties. To have lovely spring color, it’s important to put within the work months upfront. Right here’s how to determine what sort of perennial tulips to plant and when to plant them based mostly on the place you reside.
Each fall, I give my future self a bit reward. Vancouver skies are cloudy and wet nearly all winter lengthy. By late February and early March, we start to see hints of spring, which utterly revitalizes my spirit.
One of many heralds of spring are tulips and different spring flowering bulbs. After we’ve been residing in such an absence of color, confined inside for the previous few months, color can immediately convey much-needed outside serotonin and dopamine.
What’s even higher than planting tulips is planting perennial tulips. These are tulips that haven’t misplaced the power to return yr after yr, supplying you with a gentle rainbow of color with minimal work.
So, assume into the long run and provides your self some pleasure by planting perennial tulips within the fall. Right here’s what you should know.
This put up will cowl…
Selecting Perennial Bulbs
Whereas technically, all tulips needs to be perennials, that received’t at all times be the case. After years of breeding and hybridizing tulips for giant blooms and durable stems, they’ve misplaced their perennial trait. This is the reason most individuals deal with tulips as annuals and be pleasantly shocked in the event that they return the next yr.
However! You possibly can purposefully develop tulips as perennials—you simply want to make sure you’re shopping for the precise bulbs.
When looking for bulbs, search for phrases like perennializing and naturalizing tulips. Additionally, take note of the bloom instances (early, mid, late) and attempt to decide just a few varieties to have an prolonged season of tulip blooms.
There are numerous several types of tulips (which you’ll be able to be taught extra about on this put up), however listed here are a few of the greatest perennial tulips:
Darwin Hybrid
Greigii
Kafmanniana
Fosteriana
Species/botanical (these are smaller and extra carefully resemble the unique wild tulip)
It’s essential to notice that tulips are solely perennials of their ultimate situations. Usually greatest in zones 3-8, they want chilly winters, spring moisture, a sunny location, and good drainage. Tulips are native to Central Asia, so their ultimate situations might not match in all places.
Naturalizing Tulips
Naturalizing tulips takes it one step additional than perennials. Whereas some tulips will return for a number of years, tulips which have naturalized is not going to solely constantly return but in addition multiply.
One of the best tulips for naturalizing are Species, Fosteriana, and Kaumanniana. For extra recommendations on naturalizing bulbs, try this put up.
When to Plant Perennial Tulip Bulbs
Like most gardening recommendation, when to plant tulip bulbs is dependent upon the place you reside. For these with very harsh winters, you’re trying as early as mid-September, and for these with hotter climates, as late as mid-December. For many, October to November is greatest.
For me, in zone 7-8, the perfect time is early October. Don’t get too hung up on a date, however know that you simply wish to get them within the floor earlier than the primary frost. They should be within the floor earlier than it freezes for the primary time to determine themselves beforehand. The best temperature for planting tulips is 9⁰C/50⁰F.
Tulips must undergo a chilly interval, so when you don’t get them within the floor earlier than it freezes, then it might be greatest to develop them in containers as an alternative.
Attempt to plant your tulips comparatively quickly after you purchase them. If you should retailer them, hold them someplace cool and dry. However the longer you retailer them, the extra possible they’re to dry out whereas ready so that you can plant them.
Find out how to Plant Perennial Tulips
Tulips like unfastened, wealthy soil with good drainage. They’ll develop in solar and shade, however full solar gives you the most effective odds of tulips perennializing. However I at all times wish to remind folks that within the spring, the backyard will get much more sunshine than you assume as a result of the deciduous bushes are sometimes nonetheless naked when the tulips start to return out.
Plant the tulips with the roots going through down and the sharp half up. I wish to put them in groupings of strange numbers, like 5 or 9, for a extra pure show. However guarantee they’re nonetheless spaced out sufficient from one another to have sufficient room to develop.
To hurry issues up, I like to make use of an influence planter. That is particularly useful when you’re planting a lot of bulbs for naturalizing. It actually saves your wrist and lessens the time.
After planting the tulips, water them. This may stimulate root progress and assist them develop higher. They should set up themselves within the floor earlier than the soil freezes.
Mark the place you might have planted the tulips and add a layer of mulch, comparable to leaves or pine needles, to guard the tulips throughout the winter.
How Deep to Plant Perennial Bulbs
Usually, the advice is to plant bulbs 2-3 instances the bulb’s peak. Personally, I believe it’s greatest to plant them even deeper, particularly in colder climates.
First, have a look at the planting directions after which at all times plant on the deeper aspect if they provide a variety. In the event that they don’t give any indication, purpose for 3 times the bulb’s peak or barely deeper when you dwell in a chilly local weather. Overlaying with mulch after planting may also assist.
As soon as once more, the ability planter helps you simply get deep sufficient.
Perennial Tulips Care
As soon as planted, you don’t need to do a lot together with your bulb however watch for the pop of spring color to reach.
You possibly can deadhead the flowers or reduce them and convey them inside, however I like to recommend letting them keep on to extend the danger of them returning as a perennial.
No matter you do, depart behind the foliage—that’s important for the plant to recharge the bulb so it could return the next yr.
One other factor I love to do is take reference pictures. This fashion, you’ll be able to bear in mind the place you planted the bulbs in case you wish to add extra later, in addition to different vegetation.
Frequent Perennial Tulip Pests
The largest downside you’ll encounter with perennial tulips is squirrels. I had many squirrels feast on the bulbs I naturalized final yr, however I planted sufficient that I didn’t thoughts sharing a few of them. You possibly can see them within the video under!
Nevertheless, if you wish to cease squirrels and different rodents, you’ll be able to cowl the world after planting with a layer of hen wire or {hardware} fabric. Then, safe the wire to the bottom with panorama pins or massive rocks. You possibly can prime it off with mulch if you wish to cover the looks for the winter.
This may stop the rodents from digging out the bulbs. Do not forget that you could take away the overlaying earlier than the bulb pops up within the spring.
In case you’re coping with voles or groundhogs, you’ll be able to add gravel to the underside of your gap when planting. Add soil and the bulb, guaranteeing the soil surrounds the bulb. Then, add one other protecting layer of gravel.
Deer can be an issue. My largest suggestion is to combine the tulips with daffodils since they received’t eat them and plant them nearer to the home, the place the deer might really feel much less inclined to go.
Regularly Requested Questions About Planting Tulips
Solely perennial tulips like Darwin Hybrid, Species, Greigii, Fosteriana, and Kafmanniana will return. These tulips are thought of perennial bulbs in zones 3-8. They want chilly to flower, so hotter climates might not see the return of tulips they bought as begins in pots.
Be sure that to go away the leaves of the bulb intact. These leaves energize the bulb and guarantee it recharges to bloom once more the next yr.
Tulips needs to be planted about 2-3 instances the peak of their bulb and even deeper in colder climates. Some varieties might differ in how deep they need to be planted, so comply with the directions on the pack, at all times leaning in direction of the deepest quantity advised.
In case you plant tulips within the spring, you might get flowers, however you might not. The sooner within the spring, the higher. We plant them within the fall so that they have time to determine roots earlier than getting the chilly they should bloom.
So with out that head begin forming a root system, the tulips planted within the spring might not find yourself blooming or have much less spectacular flowers.
In case you missed your probability within the fall to plant tulips, you’ll be able to attempt to plant them as quickly as the bottom is workable. Or, you’ll be able to attempt forcing the bulbs indoors as an alternative.
I’d recommend that you simply purchase potted tulips from the backyard centre as an alternative. Go away them within the pot to get pleasure from whereas they bloom, after which as soon as the leaves begin to yellow, transfer them into the bottom. They could return the next yr!
Extra Ideas for Rising Flower Bulbs
A metropolis woman who discovered to backyard and it modified the whole lot. Creator, artist, Grasp Gardener. Higher residing by means of vegetation.
