What Do I Do With Tulip & Hyacinth Leaves?

About Tulips and Hyacinths

• Tulips and hyacinths are common spring-flowering bulbs in gardens throughout the United States. Tulips send up tall stems with large, cup-shaped flowers, although ruffled, doubled and lily-flowered cultivars are also popular. They come in every color of the rainbow and in heights from 6 to 8 inches to over 3 feet. They are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 10, although they struggle in the heat of the South and rarely last more than two or three years there. Hyacinths produce a short, cylindrical flower spike covered on all sides with small, sweetly fragrant flowers in white, pink, red, yellow and shades of blue. Most varieties grow 12 inches tall. They are hardy in zones 3 through 9.

Why Leaves Matter

• Hyacinths and tulips are self-contained flower factories. Each mature bulb stores enough energy to send up leaves and flowers after being planted without needing any additional food. The flowering process uses up most of that energy, however, and the bulb must replace it if it's going to survive and bloom in successive years. The bulb's leaves use photosynthesis to convert solar energy into the sugars and starches necessary to replenish the bulb for the next year. As long as the leaves retain any green coloration, photosynthesis is still in progress.

Disguising Fading Foliage

• It's tempting to cut, braid or fold over and tie the plants' foliage after they bloom, but doing so reduces the amount of leaf surface exposed to sunlight. One way to allow the leaves to remain until they wither naturally but still have a lovely garden, is to interplant the bulbs with other plants, either spring annuals such as pansies or summer-blooming perennials like daylilies and hostas, whose emerging foliage camouflages the fading bulb leaves. Alternatively, plant the bulbs in beds of groundcover like periwinkle or English ivy.

The Bottom Line

• Always allow the leaves to continue growing until they naturally become limp and yellow, at which point photosynthesis has ceased and the bulbs are going dormant. Gently pull the leaves free from the bulb or use scissors or pruners to cut them down to ground level, then throw the leaves in the trash. Tulips and hyacinths are poisonous, so never add the dried leaves to your compost pile if you use the finished compost on food crops. Always wear gloves when planting or moving hyacinth bulbs, as some people develop a rash after handling them.