When Are Tulips Available?

Bulb Availability

• Farmers in the Netherlands dig up tulip bulbs for sale across the summer. Shipped worldwide, the plump and dry tulip bulbs arrive in crates beginning in late August. Usually by September, nurseries and garden centers set up displays for tulip bulbs. The displays remain well into fall as long as inventory allows and outdoor conditions remain favorable for bulb planting. Once the ground freezes, tulip bulbs can't be planted.

Regional Considerations

• Numerous online and print catalogs exist that offer tulip bulbs for sale; these plant lists or catalogs pop up in June and July for early perusal and ordering. Even if you order tulip bulbs in early around midsummer, these bulb suppliers do not ship your bulbs out until autumn. This is to ensure bulbs are stored properly and in the correct temperatures before you receive them. Shipments are made during the ideal planting time for your region, based on latitude and elevation. From September 15 to early November, gardeners in the north receive and plant tulip bulbs. Conversely, farther south, tulip bulbs are received and planted from October 15 to late November.

Cutflower Tulips

• Tulips make attractive, long-lasting cutflowers. Anyone wishing to use tulips as decoration for weddings or other social occasions can obtain the flowers any time of year. The world floral market allows timely shipment of cut flowers from any array of locations; for tulips, that means the Netherlands or other parts of the U.S. and southern Canada. Tulip bulbs are easily forced, or treated with cool temperatures and forced to grow and bloom in greenhouses year round to meet demand. Of course, prices drop and selection increases from January to May in the United States.

Tulip Duration

• Modern tulips resulted from decades of selective breeding to produce the most beautiful flower shapes, colors and forms. Although perennial plants, most hybrids lack the genetic capabilities of long-lived bulbs, unlike their wild species predecessors. For tulip bulbs to persist for multiple years after planting, the soil must remain evenly moist and cool. If this condition isn't met, the foliage withers prematurely and side bulblets fail to develop and yield flowers in subsequent years. Plant tulip bulbs in fall with the expectation that they die after flowering next spring. Pull plants up and compost them and plant new bulbs the following fall.