What Happens to Tulips After They Bloom?

Keep Them Watered

• Tulips are perennials, which means that next year's plants will spring from the remains of this year's growth. Ensure that you have healthy and vigorous plants next spring by watering deeply throughout the blooming season. Many tulip bulbs live 6 to 8 inches deep in the ground, so a light sprinkling won't touch them. Give your plants a deep soaking at least once a week with a solid inch of water.

After the Blooms Die

• Tulips lose their petals like other flowers when they die back, leaving strap-like leaves and tall stems behind. The leaves use photosynthesis, the act of turning sunlight into food, to store energy in the bulbs below. Over the course of many weeks, the leaves will wither, yellow and die back. When the leaves are completely spent, you can mow over them to remove them from your landscaping.

Moving Bulbs

• If you want to move your tulip bulbs to a different part of your garden, wait until after all the leaves have died back. This indicates that the bulb has gone dormant and that it's now safe to move it. Dig the bulbs and store them in a well-ventilated place such as in a net bag hanging in your garage rafters. Replant the bulbs in the fall when the weather begins to cool, so that they can establish new roots before winter.

During Winter

• Bulbs will go dormant again in the soil during the winter months. The warmth and moisture of early spring thaws signal bulbs to put out new growth the next year, beginning the cycle all over again.