Welcome to a new week! We hope that you had a nice weekend. As we said last Friday, this month we are talking about fall bulbs, and today we are talking about tips for planting tulips.
Be Sure You’re Planting Tulips in the Right Spot at the Right Time
Tulips will prefer the more moderate temperatures. It’s suggested that you plant them in spots that have full sun so that they get additional warmth in Massachusetts. That’s why we plant them in the ground. This gives them the time to grow and bloom for spring.
Plant Tulips Deeply
You should cover your tulip bulbs with a minimum of 8”. They’ll also need soil that has good drainage. They’re sensitive to soil that’s very wet, and unless you have a really harsh drought you don’t want to water them artificially. A lot of water will often cause them to rot.
Fertilizer Use is a Good Choice When Planting Tulips
Although tulips don’t really require fertilizer, if you want to give them a boost, you can use fertilizer when you plant them. The fertilizer you use should have a low level of nitrogen and it should be specifically for bulbs. This will help with building up reserves for the coming season, although the bulbs have what’s necessary stored.
Buy Bulbs That are Dry
If you’re interested in putting tulips into your yard, you want to buy bulbs. This is the most exciting and affordable way. Tulips can be purchased in pots come springtime. However, this is expensive, and you aren’t going to have the variety to choose from when you purchase bulbs.
Once three years have passed, it’s possible that you’ll need to buy some new ones. Some of the varieties only flower for 3-10 years. However, if you make the decision to purchase tulips that are flowering already, you want to plant it in a container rather than in the ground. The ground could be a bit too chilly since the plant isn’t established.
Planting Tulips During the Fall is Your Best Bet
One of the things that everyone loves tulips is that they are blooming before the majority of perennials emerge. However, they also become dormant fairly early so that you have space for perennials. So that you have the very best results, it’s best to plant the tulip bulbs during fall. This will give you gorgeous flowers during the spring.
Be Careful of Critters
If you have noticed that the tulips are blooming and then don’t return, chances are that they are being messed with by a critter. Voles are one of the most common creatures who love tulips and will eat them. But rabbits and deer also fans of tulips. So you want to make sure that you are choosing a spot where the tulips are going to be protected from the animals that that love to eat them.
These are 6 tips for planting tulips that you can use to help your tulips have the best start at life. Or, if you prefer, we can come and install some flowers for you. We have a deal going on right now until 10/31 where you save when you have us install 100 bulbs or more. Contact us today to find out more!
