Tulips
This is a good thing because they are super easy to grow, almost pest-free, disease-free for the most part, last for years with a little care, can be grown in the house as well as the garden and with a little planning can be in bloom for a very long time. (you pick early, mid and late blooming varieties)
Video of Different Kinds of Tulip Flowers
Here's a video of the different kinds of tulip flowers. I made this 2-minute video to show you the gorgeous options you have when you plant this wonderful bulb.
Some pictures of tulip flowers - here are a few of my favorite tulips and two tips on taking pictures of this lovely plant.
Potted Tulips
Tulips in Water - here's how to grow tulips in water and what to do with them if you've been given them as a gift.How to Get Your Tulips to Rebloom
And if you want to use them for cut flowers, they make excellent long-lasting bouquets (note that florists now have blooms available year-round).
If you want to keep fresh tulips for a long time, here's the most important tip.
How To Grow Potted Tulips right here.
Tulip care techniques
are the same in pots and gardens. This is what they need in general.
Tulip Growing Tips
Planting
spring flower bulbs can be done at two times of year and
here's the secrets to know about how to get your bulb to bloom.
Tulip planting instructions can be found here
Tulip Bulb Storage is necessary in some forms of gardening. Here are a few thoughts.
If you leave your flower stocks unpruned, the tulip flowers will often produce seed pods. Here's how to sow and grow tulip seed
Storing tulip bulbs is one simply skill to have if you decide to dig up your tulips after they have finished blooming.
Transplanting tulips can be done at several times of year (one is better than the other though).
So what’s your choice?
Hard decision to make because there are over 3000 registered varieties on the market and because you’re going to have to plant them two to three inches apart and you want more than one of each variety, you’re going to need a big yard to grow them in. :-)Flowers by the Color
Some gardeners like to chose their bulbs based on color so here's a list of white flower tulips.
And another of yellow tulips list
Here's the list of good orange tulips for your fashionable garden.
The most popular color is of course red tulips and here's a good list of available red flowering bulbs
Pink tulips are soft and relaxing in the spring. There's a good assortment to pick from as well.
And for something a little bolder, try purple tulips
And finally, here's a list of two color or bicolor tulips that are some of the showiest bulbs around.
Other Thoughts on Flower Bulbs
But let me tell you my bias :-) I like fragrant tulips and here's a list of the most fragrant varieties for your flower bulb garden.
This bulb is also the most hybridized and sometimes the parentage is tricky to determine (we’ve been breeding this bulb for over 400 years now and here's the Dutch flower bulbs history is world famous. You can still find some species tulips for sale (wonderful small bloomers mostly) and I’d recommend them highly.
If you're looking for stories about tulip history stories then here are a few.
Tulip Flower Forms
However those big bloomers are now divided into how they bloom
(roughly) rather than who their parents were. Here’s the breakdown.Double early
Single early
Triumph
Single late
Darwin hybrid
Lily-flowering
Parrot Tulips with their wild coloring are extremely popular but need a bit of protection.
Double late
Rembrandt
Fringed
Viridiflora
Kaufmanniana
Fosteriana
Greigii
Some species you'll enjoy
Questions and Answers
Q&A My tulips were hit by frost and now they're ugly tulips Is there anything I can do?
Q&A I forgot to plant my tulips Can I plant my tulip bulbs late?
Q&A Can I get my tulips to rebloom heavily next year if I don't dig them up?
Need to Ask a Question About Tulips
If you have a question about growing tulips that's not covered in the website, this is the place to ask it.
Please be as specific as you can.
Understand that I'm one writer trying to help folks out (not some big company) and I simply can't answer every question I get. Please check out the regional forums where there are a lot of other gardeners willing to help you out. (see navigation bar)
Important Please note that the text entry boxes can be tricky to read on some browsers. The boxes are usually right to the right or directly underneath the captcha text box.
What Other Visitors Have Asked About Tulips
Click below to see what other gardeners have asked about tulips
Only one leaf and no flower on tulip I have some tulips that produced only one leave and no flower should I just dig them up and get rid of them? What causes only one leave and no flower ...
what might have cut the head off my tulip? We have a few tulips and one of the buds seemed ready to open, but today we find no head on the stem, and the stem seems cleanly cut, not chewed. We do ...
Animals eating stems, uprooting bulbs
How do we prevent rabbits, etc. from eating and disturbing the tulips?
Doug says with rabbits you use a fence. I'm not sure what an etc. is - never ...
2nd year --weak plants Beautiful last spring, leggy, no flowers this spring. What should I do? Leaves were left till dead, blooms were not picked. Should I dig up and separate?...
bone meal is it true that bone meal is really unneccessary and just sits on the top of the land and do we rally need to water often? but because i have my bulbs ...
Planting Potted Tulips in Louisiana I received potted tulips and am wondering when I should put them out in the yard here in central Louisiana (temps range from 25 in January to 100 in July)...
How often to water potted tulips
How often should I water my potted tulip?
Doug says you put your finger on the soil. If your finger comes away damp, do not water. If your finger comes ...
Growing Tulips in Singapore I love tulips. I know this is going difficult to sustain the tulips in Singapore. I bought a pot of imported tulips from Netherlands in Singapore on 22 ...
something that's eating my tulip petals Every night something has been munching on my tulip petals & hyacinthus. I have no idea what it is! But there are few remaining tulips & I have to save ...
planting direction
this may sound daft but which way up do you plant the bulb first time planter..
Doug says the real answer is that it doesn't matter. On a commercial ...
stopping tulip rot I want to plant my tulips in perennial beds... but with all I've read and have had my friends my experience, I understand that watering my perrenials will ...
pulling tulips up accidentally in summer as i was weeding my flower bed, a bunch of tulip bulbs came up. It is August, and I need to know if they will be ok to transplant at a later date. Or ...
Roots and storage
How do I prep the bulbs for storage. Do I need to take off roots? Do I separate the small bulbs from the big ones?
Thanks,
Stephanie
Doug says ...
Roots and storage
How do I prep the bulbs for storage. Do I need to take off roots? Do I separate the small bulbs from the big ones?
Thanks,
Stephanie
Doug says ...
Dug up tulips My work place dug up tulips after they bloomed but unfortunately the leaves were still green. I have taken some home and did not get to them for a few ...
transplanting tulips that are under trees We recently bought a house in the hills and just recently found tulips growing in a raised bed under some pine trees. They only have the leaves and have ...
Digging tulip bulbs up at the end of the season
Should the bulb be taken out of the ground, at the end of the season, before the frost comes or can the bulb be left in the ground?
Doug says that ...
How low can I deadhead? Some stems on my tulips are a foot long. I want to plant annuals asap so how low can I snip the head? Can I do it right above the leaves or do I have to ...
Fertilizing established bulbs When do I fertilize established bulbs...tulips, daffs and grape hyacinth? Planted them with bone meal originally, and I'd love to keep them great looking ...
cutting old tulip foilage
When can you cut the green tulip foilage after they have bloomed?
Doug says you cut it back when it turns yellow.
Sprinkling Tulip Seeds Directly on ground I read that you can sprinkle the seeds directly on the ground to germinate. When would this be done? Would it be best to do this after they have had a ...
New Seed Pods I recently cut off some seed pods from a tulip bed and am unsure how to continue. The pods are still green, a couple are big and a couple are small. How ...
multi-use potted bulbs/annuals I have horrible soil so I use potted plants on my many decks. I love tulips and daffs in the pots, but then I want to put annuals such as geraniums and ...
moving non-blooming tulips I had poor results with my tulips this spring as they did not produce flowers, but only leaves. Now that the blooming period is over, I want to dig up ...
not watering tulip bulbs but want annuals
A little confused by information given. "Don't water"? I want to plant annuals in the area I have tulip bulbs planted. Do I dig up bulbs? When?
Doug ...
No bloom thisyear; just green leaves
What do I need to do to make them bloom next year?
Doug says that he doesn't know what you did this year. But you might try starting to read the articles ...
storing spent tulips with foilage
I dug up my tulips and they still have green foilage: can
I store them this way,and remove the foilage in the fall?
Doug says that normally we want ...
moving and replanting My tulips have bloomed and I need to cut the stem down as I read here a bit ago. I need to relocate them, so I want to know if I can replant them now ...
what is eating my tulips after they bloom? Right after my tulips bloomed something ate the flowers, not the leaves. It looked as if they were cut straight across. I'm not the only one. It happened ...
hose off tulips?
Is it necessary to hose off the dirt from dug up tulips I am storing in a wood box in the basement over the summer??
Doug says that after the bulbs ...
pulled up bulbs Do spent bulbs that have been pulled up need to be replanted right away, or can I leave them out to gather sun in the leaves and then plant them once the ...
green stem growing and flower dying
the tulip has a green stem like thing growing out of it in the middle of the flower and it is making the tulip open up all the way and making it die
Doug ...
can you cut the stalk
After the flower has fallen off can you cut the stalk away & just leave the leaves at the base of the plant?
Doug says yes - that's called deadheading ...
Tulips in Zone 8 I've dug up my tulips and let them dry out with the foliage attached. Now that that's turned brown, I've cut the foliage off. How can I store these bulbs ...
missed clipping blooms I dsid not clip the deadheads off of my tulips this year. If they come back next year, and I clip off the blooms, could they recover the following year?...
transplanting Can I transplant tulips to another bed after they have bloomed. Some of the flowers are dead but others still look nice. Will they come back next year?...
Storage of Tulip Bulbs I work for a Southern University and the garden people always dig up the tulips and throw them away. This year they offered the bulbs to employees. How ...
how to get tulips reblooming after a 'fallow' year. I have tulips that have reliably rebloomed for several years. In fact, last year they were magnificent and seemed to have multiplied substantially. However,...
my tulip flowers fell off
my tulips are nothing but stems now, i really dont know what happened but i have no flowers!! please help
thank you, amie
p.s. i'm a new-be at ...
Will deer ravaged tulips bloom this year? I just discovered two-thirds of my tulip garden chewed down to the ground. The buds were not up yet, just the leaves. Will they bloom this year or are ...
optimal care potted pink tulips I live in Hawaii and was given a very beautiful potted pink tulip plant for Easter. How do I keep it healthy and when do I start to "deadhead" it to add ...
Saving deer ravaged tulips Once again the deer have gotten a head start on me and eaten at least two-thirds of my tulip foliage. Is there any way to get growth out of the damaged ...
My new apartment porch gets no sun. I have 5 pots of tulips on my porch. 3 came up last year in my old apartment, and 2 are newly planted in the fall. The 3 that came up last year got morning ...
Plants did not surface this year
We planted about 100 tulips in fall of 2007. Last spring we had a beautiful show. I left the greens intact until they all died out. I fertilized.
This ...
no flowers My tulips are coming up with only leaves..no flowers. What is wrong? The same thing happened last year. They did bloom nicely the year before. Thank ...
what's eating my tulip leaves
Our tulip leaves are being eaten before they have a chance to fully come up.
What could be eating them, squirrel, bunny. slugs or something else and what ...
Storing bulbs in a pot?
I live in México an have tulips for the first time, I would like to grow them for as long as possible.
What can I do to keep them? I know they need ...
transplanting tulips
my tulips are in a container and up out of ground 3 inches can i transplant them now into another container? and will they still bloom this year
Doug ...
tulip bulbs forced in waterm not soil- finished blooming- now what? I bought some beautiful tulip bulbs in glass containers from Costco a month ago. All of the bulbs grew green shoots and produced beautiful blooms. Flowers ...
tulip foliage damage
My tulips have holes in their leaves and the edges of the leaves seem brown and damaged. What can I do?
Doug says nothing. Something (a vole, beetle,...
Storing Tulip Bulbs until Fall I want your advice as to what is the best medium to store my tulip bulbs in that I received in a pot at Easter time. I know to keep them dry and cool,...
Transplant tulips in Spring?
If you transplant tulips in March to a new location, will they bloom that year?
Doug says that *if* there were going to produce a flower in their old ...
tulips and frost
will the frost kill my tulips that have started growing outside?
Doug says that tulips and other spring bulbs are very hardy and will not be bothered ...
water emerging tulips? Hi. I live in New Mexico. I planted tulips for the first time last October. It is now Feb 28th, and they have been emerging for about a week. We've ...
Transplanted tulips - they died I have a few questions.....I live in Orange County (CA) and I have just purchased containers with about 6 bulbs in one container with the roots tangled ...
Tulips in Alabama
I have 2 potted tulips already in bloom(given to me) How do I care for them now and can I transplant them come spring?
Doug says that you have a problem ...
Potted tulips frostbit
Got potted tulips for valentines, left them outside they got froctbitten. Can I save them? Deadhead? Force bloom?Live in central Missouri
Doug says ...
can Tulips be grown indoors? Hi, I know very little about gardening and this question may seem silly. I was wondering: Can I keep Tulips as a House Plant? And If not I live in North ...
tulips as a gift I bought my girlfriend tulips for valentine's day. I was wondering what advice I could give her to help her take care of them and prolong their life. We ...
Another plant for tulip beds
What can I plant in a tulip bed to grow once the tulips are done flowering since you can't water a tulip bed throughout the year.
Doug says you might ...
Tulips in a pot
Hello,
I received tulips in a pot (very small) as a gift. They just bloomed, and now they are getting big and I'm pretty sure the leaves are about to ...
Growing Tulips Indoors After Blooming
I bought tulips in a small container in Jan they are done blooming what do I do with them until I can plant them outside in Spring?
Doug says the article ...
Potted tulip dying in two weeks! I received a potted tulip for my birthday two weeks ago and it has gone from having four tulips to none but dead ones and a tiny one about to bloom has ...
Tulips in Water The tulips bloomed in wated in a vase. Now I want ot save them and plant later. Do I trim off the roots. how far do I clip the stem down and do you really ...
Large tulip bulbs from small tulip bulbs After blooming in San Francisco Bay Area my large tulip bulbs have become much smaller. If I plant them for the next year, is there a way to make a larger ...
any way to store bulbs over the winter
I got a really good buy on bulbs from the store where I work.
I have hundreds of bulbs from tulip to hyacinth to crocus etc. The ground is starting to ...
Store Bulbs Over Winter? I bought about 30-40 bulbs, intending to plant. I managed to injure myself, and despite the injury beginning to heal, have been told not to try to do ...
Over-wintering potted tulips I've been looking all over the web for some helpful advice on how to re-bloom tulips. I live in southern Ontario, on the 22nd floor, facing north-east....
I am moving and dug up my tulips I dug up my tulips 2 days ago an how i have some mold growing When should i replant them? Can i replant in spring? How to store it and should i leave ...
Tulips cut too early My mother always grew tulips (and other bulbs) but I never saw her do anything (ever) with them. I suppose it might have been the climate (North-Central ...
Starting Tulip Seed Pods I brought the tulip seed pod in the house not knowing what to do with the seeds. The seed pod has cracked open some, but not much. Is it OK to break ...
Once the flower falls off a potted tulip
I have a potted tulip, once the flower falls off, do I cut or tie the stem or leave it? Will more flowers come?
Doug says - no more flowers until the ...
What do I do now? My boyfriend bought me the most beautifull Tulip plant, but now it seems to be dying. I've never had a "green thumb" but don't want him to think I dont ...
I acquired bulbs out of season It is almost the middle of June in Nebraska (we have gotten 12+" of rain since June 1st) & I just acquired some tulip bulbs. I understand that they should ...
Dug Up Tulip Bulbs - Boost Them?
I live in Ohio and dug up my tulip bulbs. Now what? Do I try to boost them or let them go dormant and dry out?
Doug says he doesn't understand. "boost ...
how to save my tulip bulbs
my tulip bulbs have some mold on them why is that and are they still good and how shoul d i save them from rotting?
Doug says - it's May. Why are ...
holes in tulip leaves?
Do tulip leaves get pest holes in them like rose leaves and other leaves?
Doug says - yes they do. Lots of things will enjoy a small nip of tulip. Heck,...
splitting apart tulip bulbs If a bulb now has 3-4 smaller bulbs hanging from the stalk of the plant, should they be split apart when planting in the fall or when drying during the ...
Indoor Tulip Care I was given a gorgeous pink potted tulip that I would like to keep indoors. I plan to double pot it. I have a ducted heating system in the house and ...
Some tulips flowered others didn't I have some Tulips that flowered and others that didn't in close proximity of each other. I bought this house 3 years ago and they were already there....
Tulips have lots of green leaves but no flowers
I have bunches of Tulip Greens but no flowers. Used to have flowers prior 2 years. What is wrong? Bulbs only 3-4 yrs old.
Doug says that you're probably ...
transplanting and moving tulips
When can I transplant tulip bulbs, I have some that I want to move now?
Doug says that you *can* move a tulip right after it finished blooming but ...
tulips for wedding Hello, I am getting married next year mid May and would like to use Tulips from my own garden for my bouquet and decorations. Are there any type of tulips ...
fertilizer for tulips?
I have tulip leaves that come up without flowers. Do I need to fertilize them? If so, with what?
Doug says - see the articles about bulbs not blooming ...
pink turns red
every time i plant pink tulips they come up red
Doug says you should get a better supplier. :-)
tulip leaves curling small flowers I have the same variety tulips bought at the same time. One cluster is doing beautifully. 15 feet away I have another cluster that the leaves are small ...
Tulips disfigured
tulips coming up look like leaves have been cut across with scissors
Doug says, welcome to the world of deer, rabbits, groundhogs or other critter that ...
If you want to ask a question about tulips click here
