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Planting flower bulbs in the fall

How to plant and care for tulips properly

There are over 4000 different varieties of tulips worldwide, which bloom in a wide variety of colors and shapes
There are over 5000 different varieties of tulips worldwide, which bloom in a wide variety of colors and shapes Photo: GettyImages/lesichkadesign

October 21, 2024, 4:29 pm | Read time: 5 minutes

Gardeners should start thinking about the next gardening year in the fall. In order to enjoy a blooming garden next spring, tulip bulbs should be planted in the fall.

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Tulips (Tulipa) bloom in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and heights. They are among the true classics among garden plants. It doesn’t take much effort to care for them. In this article, you can find out how to care for and plant tulips so that they bloom profusely in beds and pots.

Planting tulips

Tulips are perennial early bloomers that are planted relatively late in the ground. As with many bulbous plants that flower in spring, it is advisable to plant tulip bulbs at the end of September to the end of November (up until the first frosty nights). Tulips need a cold stimulus to flower in spring. Permanent temperatures between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius are ideal.

Der Spätherbst ist die ideale Zeit, um Tulpenzwiebeln in Beete, Töpfe und Balkonkästen zu setzen
Late fall is the ideal time to plant tulip bulbs in beds, pots, and balcony boxes

As a rule of thumb, tulip bulbs should be buried twice as deep as they are tall. The tip should always point upwards. Please do not press or squash the bulbs.

Depending on the type of tulip, you should leave a distance of ten to 20 centimeters between the individual bulbs when planting. This will give the tulips enough space to develop. For a particularly harmonious and impressive look, it is advisable to plant tulips in groups rather than individually. This makes the tulips look even more impressive in spring.

Planting tulip bulbs in a pot

Tulips can also be planted in pots from mid-October. It is only important that excess water can drain out of the planter and not accumulate in it. This is how it works:

  1. First, prepare the soil with a drainage layer of broken clay.
  2. Then, fill the pot with a mixture of potting soil and sand.
  3. Then, prepare the planting hole.
  4. Insert the tulip bulbs and cover them with soil and water.

Planting tulip bulbs in spring

Tulips need a cold stimulus to flower in spring. It is also possible to plant tulips in January. To do this, they should first be placed in a not-too-cold place and then in the cold to activate the necessary cold stimulus. However, this will delay flowering until late spring.

Tip: If you want to be on the safe side, you can buy pre-sprouted tulip bulbs in spring and plant them in beds and pots.

Location and soil

Tulips thrive well in full sun and warm locations, and they delight with lush growth and magnificent blooms. Equally important, the soil should be loose, well-drained, and never permanently moist. Otherwise, the tulip bulbs will rot. If the soil is clayey, it is advisable to prepare the planting hole with sand.

Appearance and growth

Tulips are known for their upright growth habit. Long shoots with equally long leaves and a single flower are typical. The colors and shapes of the flowers can vary depending on the variety.

Varieties

There are over 5000 different tulip varieties worldwide. With such a large selection, there is something for every taste. Short-stemmed tulip varieties, dwarf, or wild tulips are particularly suitable for planting on the balcony. Double tulip varieties, such as the popular peony tulips, ensure a magnificent bloom on balconies.

Lily tulips, which include varieties such as “China Pink” and “White Triumphator,” have a special flower shape. Fringed tulips, as the name suggests, have many small fringes on the petals. These include varieties such as “Eye Lash” and “Vincent van Gogh.” The latter also has almost black flowers.

Caring for tulips

In general, tulips are considered easy-care plants for the garden. You should keep the following in mind:

Watering

After planting, the planting hole should be filled with soil and the bulbs watered. Waterlogging should be avoided, especially in pots and balcony boxes.

Fertilizing

A load of compost can promote the development of the bulbs. You can work the compost into the soil before planting.

Pruning

If you notice that the tulips have wilted, you can remove the flowers. However, the leaves should not be removed as they provide the bulb with energy. This is important so that the plant can flower again next year.

Propagation

If you want to propagate tulips in the garden, you should look out for daughter bulbs, which many tulips produce all by themselves. These can be removed in the fall and replanted in the desired location.

Overwintering

If the tulip bulbs are planted in pots and balcony boxes, they should be kept in a sheltered place throughout the winter. Frost protection is necessary to ensure that the bulbs do not freeze through and survive the winter well. Fir branches on the ground keep frosty temperatures at bay. It is also advisable to cover the boxes with jute or fleece. If you like, you can also cover the bulbs in the bed with bark mulch as frost protection.

In addition to overwintering, tulips also have the special feature of being able to overwinter. Once the plants have faded and dried out, it is worth digging up the bulbs and storing them in a cool, airy place. Tulips do not tolerate damp soil during their dormant period in summer.

Poisonous

All parts of the plant are poisonous and should not be eaten. Care should be taken with the bulbs in particular. They should always be planted with gloves. Prolonged skin contact can lead to tulip bulb dermatitis. This can be recognized by redness and itching.

More on the topic

Diseases and pests

Unfortunately, tulips don’t just delight amateur gardeners. The bulbs are right at the top of the menu for voles. To protect them from rodents, close-meshed wire baskets have proven their worth. Simply plant the tulip bulbs together with the baskets.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of MYHOMEBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@petbook.de.

Topics Flowers Garden plants
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