How to Grow Tulips -- Garden Chronicle

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Tulips are classic spring-blooming bulbs prized for their showy flowers that come in a wide range of colors–nearly all colors except true blue. Many tulips are bicolored. the most familiar tulips have elongated cup-shaped blooms, but there are also tulips with bowl-shaped blossoms and double-flowered cultivars. There are goblet- and star-shaped tulip blooms as well.

Tulip flowers are borne on slender, upright, usually unbranched stems reaching upwards from basal linear and strap-shaped leaves. Tulips grow from plump teardrop-shaped, tunicate bulbs.

There are about 100 species of tulips and hundreds of named cultivars. All are organized into 15 divisions based on flower shape and origin. Grower catalogs use the divisions to organize their offerings. Roughly, tulips are divided into two groups, species tulips, and hybrid tulips.

The smaller species of tulips are best used in informal beds, borders, and rock gardens. Taller, larger hybrid tulips are dramatic and good choices for formal, massed beds, and in clumps in the flower garden or shrub border. Tulips make excellent cut flowers as well.

While all tulips bloom well the first year, many decline in the following years, especially some hybrids. Choose tulips from the following division for best performance: Darwin Hybrid Tulips, Triumph Tulips, Kaufmanniana Tulips, Fosteriana Tulips, and Greigii Tulips. Species of tulips that are good performers are Tulipa batalini, T. humilis, T. saxatilis, and T. tarda. (See below)

'Monsella' Double Early Tulip — ‘Monsella’ Double Early Tulip

Get to know Tulips

Plant type: Hardy spring-blooming bulb
Growing Zones and range: Zones 3 to 11; perennial in Zones 3-7; annual in Zones 7-11
Hardiness: Hardy; must have frost during winter; tolerant of heat and cold
Height and width: 4 to 30 inches (10-76cm) tall, 4 to 10 inches (10-25cm) wide
Flowers: Single or double bowl-shaped flowers; colors include red, pink, orange, gold, yellow, blue, lavender, purple, black, or white; many bicolors
Bloom time: Early to late spring
Uses: Beds and borders, mass plantings, pattern plantings
Common name: Tulip
Botanical name: Tulipa spp.
Family name: Liliaceae

Where to plant Tulips

Plant tulips in full sun, or in light shade under deciduous trees.
Grow tulips in humus-rich, well-drained soil.
Tulips prefer a soil pH of 6 to 7.

When to plant Tulips

Plant tulips in mid-autumn in Zones 3-7; work compost and bulb fertilizer into the soil.
In Zones 8-11, place bulbs in the refrigerator for 6 to 10 weeks before planting outdoors.
Tulips can be forced indoors for winter bloom pot bulbs in fall, place the pots in a refrigerator or outdoors if temperatures are cooler than 40°F (4.4°C) for four to six weeks, and then bring them indoors to grow and bloom.

Spacing and planting Tulips

Space tulips 4 to 10 inches (10-25cm) apart.
Plant tulips 4 to 6 inches (10-15cm) deep.
For best effect, plant tulips in groups, use 6 bulbs of smaller tulips and 3 or more bulbs of larger tulips in each group.

How to water and feed Tulips

Tulips need ample water during growth and bloom and moderate water after.
Add bonemeal or an all-purpose fertilizer to planting holes when planting bulbs.
Fertilize tulips with an all-purpose fertilizer in spring when shoots begin to emerge.

Tulips care

Mulch tulips for winter protection in Zones 3-4; cover bulbs with chopped leaves. In very cold winter regions, mulch with 6 inches of evergreen boughs. Remove the mulch when leaves appear in early spring.
Remove flowers as soon as they fade to prevent seed set and encourage bulb development.
In spring, after blooming, allow foliage to die back before removing it.
Tulips can be forced indoors. Seed Planting above.

Growing Tulips as houseplants

Tulips can be purchased in bloom or bulbs can be forced into bloom at home.
To force your own tulips, pot the bulbs in fall in a well-drained, soilless medium and place five to six bulbs in a 6-inch pot.
Plant the bulbs with the flat side against the rim of the pot.
The tip of the bulb should be just below the medium.
Place the pot outdoors, either protected in a cold frame or buried in the ground.
If temperatures do not drop below 40°F, the pot and bulbs must be refrigerated. Chill the bulbs for 12 to 16 weeks or until the bulbs have 2 to 3 inches of top growth.
Move the pot to a room where the temperature is cool, light is direct and humidity is medium to high.
Keep the medium evenly moist.
Fertilizing is not necessary.
Tall varieties may be staked.
After the tulips have finished blooming they can be planted outdoors where they may bloom the following year.

Tulip common problems

Root and bulb rots are common in wet or poorly drained soil.
Gray mold, slugs, snails, and aphids can be a problem.
To protect bulbs from rodents that will dig them up, plant bulbs inside a wire mesh cage or place a wire mesh on top of the planting beds.

Tulip propagation

Sow seeds of species in autumn.
Separate offsets of species and cultivars after lifting in summer, replant, and grow on.
Divide species tulips every two to three years when flowers start to become smaller; if flowers become very small, discard the bulbs.

Tulips varieties to grow

Choose tulips by looking at photographs, descriptions, colors, height, and bloom times.
Tulips are divided into two groups, species tulips, and hybrid tulips.
Hybrid tulips are divided into 15 divisions or groups based on flower forms and bloom time. Hybrid tulips include:

Hybrid Tulips–Tulip divisions

Single Early Tulips Division 1): blooms in early spring, 2- to 4-inch (5-10cm) flowers are egg-shaped; 16 inches (40cm) tall.
Double Early Tulips (Division 2): also called peony-flowered tulips: 4-inch (10cm) double flowers resemble a peony; bloom in early spring.
Triumph Tulips (Division 3): bloom in mid-spring; single, egg-shaped flowers are 2 to 4 inches (5-10cm) high; 20 inches (50cm) tall.
Darwin-Hybrid Tulips (Division 4): descendants of Darwin tulips, bloom in mid-spring before Darwins; oval- to egg-shaped flowers with square bases, to 4 inches (10cm) long; 30 inches (76cm) tall.
Single Late Tulips (Division 5): Late-spring blooming tulips bear single 3-inch-wide flowers that are cup or goblet-shaped on 18 to 30 inch (45-91cm) stems.
Lily-Flowered Tulips (Division 6): bear singe, goblet-shaped flowers that have slightly reflexed tepals with pointed tips; grow 18 to 26 inches (45-66cm) tall; bloom in mid to late spring.
Fringed Tulips (Division 7): cultivars bear single 3-inch-wide, cup-shaped flowers with fringed tepals; grow 14 to 26 inches (35-66cm) tall; many cultivars.
Viridiflora Tulips (Division 8): produce single flowers that have tepals that are either entirely or predominantly green; cup-shaped blooms are 3-inches wide.
Rembrandt Tulips (Division 9): Also called “broken” tulips, bear single, cup-shaped flowers feathered and striped with various colors; striping is caused by a virus infection.
Parrot
Parrot Tulips (Division 10): bloom in late spring, 6 to 7-inch (15-17cm) flowers with petals that are fringed, cut, or feathered; 24 inches (61cm) tall.
Double Late tulips: resemble Double Early tulips but bloom in late spring, also called peony tulips; flowers are 6 inches (15cm) across; 22 inches (56cm) tall.
Double Late Tulips (Division 11): resembles Double Early tulips but bloom in late spring, also called peony tulips; flowers are 6 inches (15cm) across; 22 inches (56cm) tall.
Kaufmanniana Tulips (Division 13): hybrids grow 4 to 8 inches (10-20cm) tall, single flowers that open almost flat; early spring bloomers; live for many years.
Fosteriana Tulips (Division 13): bloom in early spring, 4-inch (10cm) single flowers; ‘Emperor’ varieties are the most popular; foliage is sometimes mottled or striped.
Greigii Tulips Division 14): bloom in mid-spring to late spring; single flowers are 3 inches (7.6cm) tall and slightly pointed; grow 6 to 14 inches (15-35cm) tall; broad, wavy, mottled, or striped foliage.
Miscellaneous Tulips (Division 15): Wide range of species tulips and also hybrids that are not included in other divisions.

A few species Tulips

Tulipa acuminata (Turkish tulip): Blooms in mid-spring to late spring; 3- to 4-inch (7.6-10cm) flowers with yellow-pink petals that are long and pointed; grows to 18 inches (45cm) tall.
T. albertii: grows 6 to 8 inches tall; glaucous blue leaves; orange-red blooms in early spring.
T. aucheriana: grow 6 to 8 inches tall; bears starry, 3-inch-wide pink flowers that open flat with yellow central blotch.
T. bakeri: grows 8 to 10 inches tall; bears fragrant star-shaped flowers in dark pink to purple-pink from mid-to late spring.
T. batalinii: grows 4 to 8 inches tall; produces bowl-shaped 3-inch-wide, pale yellow flowers marked with bronze or dark yellow inside.
T. clusiana (Candy-stick tulip): Blooms mid-spring to late spring; 2-inch (5cm) flower with pointed petals; grows to 15 inches (38cm) tall.
T. greigii. See Greigii Tulip Division above.
T. hageri: grows 8 to 10 inches tall; blooms are dull red with green flames and tepal tips and blue-black centers.
T. humilis: grow 4 to 6 inches tall; bears starry, crocuslike rose-pink flowers in early spring.
T. kaufmanniana. See Kaumanniana Tulip Division above.
T. kolpakowskiana: grows 6 to 8 inches tall bears flowers to 3-inches wide that are yellow with red stripe on the outside and solid yellow inside.
T. linifolia: grows 3 to 6 inches wide; red bowl-shaped blooms with a black blotch at the base; flowers are nearly flat on sunny days.
T. maximowiczii: grows 3 to 6 inches tall, red flowers have a dark blue blotch at center, opens nearly flat on sunny days.
T. neustruevae: grows 3 to 4 inches tall and bears yellow crocuslike flowers in early spring.
T. orphanidea: grows 8 to 10 inches tall and bears solitary or clusters of up to four red flowers in early spring; flowers are marked with green or purple on the outside.
T. polychroma: grow 3 to 4 inches tall with starry blooms of white flowers with a yellow center and violet-purple tip.
T. praestans: grows to 12 inches (30cm) tall with red-orange blooms in early spring.
T. pulchella: grows 10 to 12 inches tall, bears starry red to purple flowers with blue-black central blotches in early to mid-spring.
T. saxatilis: grows 8 to 10 inches tall; produces fragrant star-shaped pink to purplish-pink blooms in mid to late spring.
T. sprengeri: grows 12 to 14 inches tall, bears red or orange-red and yellow goblet-shaped flowers.
T. sylvestris: grows 14 to 16 inches tall and bears yellow, starry, fragrant flowers in mid spring.
T. tarda: grows 4 to 6 inches tall, bears clusters of starry golden-yellow blooms with white tips in mid-spring.
T. turkestanica: grows 6 to 10 inches tall, bears start white with yellow or orange center flowers in early to midspring.
T. uruminensis: grows 4 to 6 inches tall, bears starry yellow flowers flushed with cream, lilac, or red-brown on the outside in early spring.
T. vvendenskyi: grows 10 to 12 inches tall, bears red flowers with black or red blotches at the base in early to midspring.
T. whittallii: grows 8 to 10 inches tall, bears star-shaped bronzy orange flowers edged with red-purple in early to midspring.
T. wilsoniana: grows 4 to 6 inches tall, beard dark blood-red flowers with pointed tepals and central black blotch.

Tulipa batalinii — Bokhara tulip

Bokhara tulip is a diminutive wildflower from Central Asia just north of Afghanistan. The flower is buff yellow with a yellow-gray blotch at the base of each petal. Cultivars come in shades of yellow, bronze, and red. The 2-inch-long cups have blunt, sometimes notched petals that stay upright in a perfect tulip form. The leaves are narrow and grasslike, forming along with the mid-spring blossoms.

Size: 4 to 6 inches tall.
Light: Full sun to light shade.
Soil and moisture: Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Regular moisture during growth and blooming; dry off when leaves die back.
Planting and propagation: Plant in fall, 3 to 6 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart.
Special care: Remove faded flowers.
Pest and diseases: Usually pest free.
Climate: Zones 4-8. Where summers are wet, dig dormant bulbs and store at 65°F until time to plant in fall.
Cultivars and similar species: ‘Bright gem,’ golden yellow, flushed orange; ‘bronze charm,’ bronze; ‘red jewel,’ red; ‘yellow jewel,’ lemon-yellow. Similar: T. linifolia, red, bluish base, pointed petals, red-edged leaves, 5 to 10 inches tall.
Garden use: Plant in groups in rock gardens and in front of borders.

Tulipa clusiana — Candystick tulip, lady tulip

Tulipa clusiana is a species of tulip that is easy to grow in mild winter areas with hot, dry summers, where it often naturalizes. Fragrant flowers are rosy-red and white on the outside, with reddish-purple bases, opening to reveal a white interior. The flowers are star-shaped when fully open. The leaves are narrow and folded lengthwise.

Size: 12 to 14 inches tall.
Light: Full sun is best.
Soil and moisture: Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Regular moisture during growth and blooming: dry off when leaves die back.
Planting and propagation: Plant bulbs in the fall, 4 to 7 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart.
Special care: Easy to grow and spreads by stolons if well situated. Cut off faded flowers.
Pest and diseases: Usually pest free.
Climate: Adapted in zones 4-8 in the east; to zone 11 in the west. Where summers are wet, dig dormant bulbs and store at 65°F, until time to plant in fall.
Cultivars and similar species: T. c. var. chrysantha, crimson outside, deep yellow inside, 6 inches tall; T. c. var. stellata, yellow blotch inside.
Garden use: Plant in groups in rock gardens and in fronts of borders.

Tulipa pulchella — dwarf taurus tulip

Tulipa pulchella is a diminutive dwarf tulip native to Asia Minor. Dwarf Taurus tulip is painted red to purple on the inside of the petals with a bluish basal blotch, and gray or green on the reverse of the petals. Cultivars include flower colors in violet, violet pink, and white. The 1 ½ inch blossoms are usually solitary and open into flat stars on sunny days. Flowers bloom early, from a base of two or three strap-shaped leaves.

Size: 4 to 6 inches tall.
Light: full sun is best.
Soil and moisture: Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Regular moisture during growth and blooming; dry off when leaves die back.
Planting and propagation: Plant in fall 3 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart. Divide during dormancy only crowded.
Special care: Remove faded flowers. Cut back foliage only when yellow.
Pest and diseases: Usually pest free.
Climate: Zone 5-8. Where summers are wet, dig dormant bulbs and store at 65°F until fall planting. Mulch in cold climates.
Cultivars and similar species: T.p humilis (T. humilis), bright rose-pink, yellow base; T. p. violacea, violet-purple petals, black base, crocus-shaped blossoms, 4 inches tall; ‘Persian pearl,’ rosy red inside, silvery gray outside, 6 inches tall. Similar: T. bakeri, large wine-purple with yellow bases, 4 to 6 inches tall; ‘lilac wonder,’ lavender-pink, large lemon-yellow base.
Garden use: Plant in groups in rock gardens, at fronts of borders, and under shrubs.

Tulipa x hybrida — hybrid tulips

Hybrid tulips are the perhaps the most familiar of spring flowers. Hybrid tulips are long-stemmed with cup-shaped blossoms. The egg-shaped flowers open into wide bowls on sunny days, closing at night. The usually 2-to 3-inch-deep flowers may be single or double, fringed, pointed, or ruffled. Hybrid tulips bloom in mid-to-late spring in all colors but true blue. Some are streaked, blotched with basal stars, or picotee. The broad gray-green leaves are generally much shorter than the blossoms. Modern hybrids are classified by bloom time (early, mid-, or late in the tulip season) as well as by flower type (see above).

Size: 10 inches to 2 ½ feet tall.
Light: Full sun or light shade; leans toward the light that isn’t overhead.
Soil and moisture: Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained. Regular moisture during growth and blooming; drier when leaves die back.
Planting and propagation: Zones 3-7, plant bulbs in early fall, 5 to 6 inches deep (10 inches to 1 foot deep to encourage rebloom in subsequent years), and 4 to 6 inches apart. In zones 8-11, refrigerate bulbs for eight weeks at 45°F, then plant in mid-to-late fall, 6 to 8 inches deep.
Special care: Most hybrids tulips do not rebloom well after the first year, so they are often treated as annuals even where hardy. To encourage reblooming in subsequent years, plant deeply, fertilize with nitrogen during leaf growth, and allow foliage to die back naturally. For bouquets, cut as the bud is about to open, split the stem, and cure in water in a cool, dark place for two to eight hours with stems tightly wrapped in a clear wrap to keep them upright. If treating as annual, pull plants after flowers fade; otherwise, deadhead, then cut back leaves only when foliage yellows.
Pest and diseases: Fire (a disease similar to gray mold), mosaic virus, aphids, gophers, mice, and deer may be troublesome.
Climate: Zones 4-7. In zones 8-11, use as annual, or dig bulbs when dormant and refrigerate in moist peat at 40° to 45°F until late-fall planting.
Cultivars: Early-single: ‘Couleur Cardinal,’ dark red, 13 inches tall; ‘Dr. An Wang,’ lilac-blue, 1 2/3 feet tall; ‘General De Wet,’ warm orange, fragrant, 13 inches tall. Early-double: ‘Schoonord,’ white, light fragrances, 1 foot tall; ‘Abba,’ bright red, 12 to 14 inches tall, mid-season, triumph: ‘Apricot Beauty,’ salmon and apricot, green at the base, 1 ½ feet tall; ‘Bastogne,’ red, light fragrance, 1 ½ feet tall; ‘Boccherini,’ dark periwinkle-blue, slight scent, 1 2/3 feet tall; ‘Hans Anrud,’ deep lilac, 22 inches tall; ‘Orange Wonder,’ warm orange, fragrant, 1 ½ feet tall; ‘White Dream,’ white, 1 2/3 feet tall. Late, Lilly-flowered: ‘Ballerina,’ apricot-tangerine, fragrant, 2 feet tall; ‘West Point,’ primrose-yellow, 23 inches tall; ‘White Triumphator,’ white, 26 inches tall. Late, Darwin and cottage: ‘Blue Amiable,’ lilac-blue, touches of lavender, 26 inches tall, ‘Georgette,’ butter-yellow, red edge, several to a stem, 1 ½ feet tall; ‘Sweet Harmony,’ pastel yellow, white edge, 2 feet tall. Mid-season, Darwin hybris: ‘Burning Heart,’ white, flamed red, 2 1/3 feet tall; ‘General Eisenhower,’ red, 26 inches tall; ‘Golden Apeldoorn,’ golden yellow, black-and-green base, 2 feet tall; ‘Holland’s Glory’, orange-scarlet, 26 inches tall; ‘Jewel of Spring,’ primrose-yellow, red edge, 2 feet tall. Late, parrot: ‘Blue Parrot,’ lilac-blue, streaked lavender, 26 inches tall; ‘White Parrot,’ white, streaked green, 25 inches tall. Late, double, and peony: ‘Maravilla,’ violet, 22 inches tall; ‘Mount Tacoma,’ white 23 inches tall; ‘Angelique,’ pale pink, lighter edged, 22 inches tall.
Garden use: Plant in groups in the midground of borders and beds; excellent in cut-flower gardens. Combine with hostas to camouflage unsightly dying foliage.

Tulipa sylvestris — Florentine tulip

Tulipa sylvestris is a mid-spring-blooming species tulip. This species adapts better than most tulips to mild-winter areas. The 2-inch-long fragrant yellow blossoms, often borne several to a stem, are nodding while in bud but upright when open. Red or green tinges appear on the backs of the petals. The straplike leaves are nearly as tall as the flower stems and ridged.

Size: 6 inches to 1 foot tall.
Light: Full sun or light shade.
Soil and moisture: Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Regular moisture during growth and blooming: drier when leaves die back.
Planting and propagation: Plant bulbs in the fall, 4 to 6 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart.
Special care: Cut off faded flowers; cut back leaves only when yellow.
Pest and diseases: Usually pest free.
Climate: Zones 4-10.
Similar species: T. saxatilis, also well suited to mild-winter areas, forms bulbs at ends of stolons, fragrant rosy lilac flowers with yellow bases, one to three per stem, 1 foot tall, thrives in poor soil and hot-summer climates.
Garden use: Plant in groups in rock gardens and fronts of borders.

Tulipa tarda (t.dasystemon) — Kuenlun tulip

Tulipa tarda is a low-growing plant with bright green flat leaves and flowers that open to flat stars. Petals are yellow with white edges on the inside, white with hints of green, and sometimes red on the outside. The 2-inch blossoms open several to a stem in early spring. Bulbs form on the ends of stolons and can spread.

Size: 4 to 6 inches tall.
Light: Best in full sun.
Soil and moisture: Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Regular moisture, during growth and blooming; drier when leaves die back.
Planting and propagation: Plant bulbs in the fall, 5 to 6 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart.
Special care: Cut off faded flowers. Do not remove foliage until yellow.
Pest and diseases: Usually pest free.
Climate: Zones 4-8.
Cultivars: Only the species is available.
Garden use: Plant in groups in rock gardens, under shrubs, and in the front of borders.

Tulipa kaufmanniana — water lily tulip

Water lily tulips are hybrids of T. kaufmanniana. Water lily tulips have water-lily-shaped blossoms. They are short in stature and very early bloomers. The petals of the species open into wide stars on sunny days and are creamy white inside, with golden yellow bases and bright carmine exteriors. Flowers are about 3 inches across in shades of yellow, mauve-pink, deep red, violet, and creamy white, often with a contrasting base, edge, or reverse. The leaves are broad and low spreading. This easy-care tulip naturalizes more readily than most.

Size: 4 to 10 inches tall.
Light: full sun is best.
Soil and moisture: Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Regular moisture during growth and blooming; drier when leaves die back.
Planting and propagation: Plant bulbs in the fall, 3 to 6 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart.
Special care: Cut off faded flowers. Allow foliage to turn yellow before removing.
Pest and diseases: Usually pest free.
Climate: zones 3-8.
Cultivars: ‘Cherry Orchard,’ scarlet, lemon-yellow base inside, 8 inches tall; ‘Heart’s Delight’ pink with pale pink edges outside, pale pink with a lemon-yellow base inside, 6 inches tall; ‘Alfred Cortot,’ deep scarlet, white-striped leaves, 6 inches tall; ‘Gaiety,’ violet edged in creamy white, creamy white interior, 4 inches tall; ‘Shakespeare,’ carmine exterior, salmon with yellow base interior. T greigii, similar to T. kaufmanniana, but blooms a bit later, gray-green leaves striped with marron: ‘Red Riding Hood,’ red, black base; ‘Perlina,’ rose with lemon-yellow base; ‘Cape Cod’, apricot edged yellow, black base.
Garden use: Plant in groups in rock gardens and in front of borders.