How Many Tulip Bulbs Are in One Hole?

Number of Bulbs

• Planting a cluster of bulbs rather than just one flower is rather like planting a bouquet of tulips in your garden. The best way to do this is to plant an odd number of bulbs in the hole. Keep the hole at the same length, but make it wider. Three, five, seven or even nine or more bulbs -- it's entirely up to you how large you want to make the "bouquet." One trick is to create a triangle out of the bulbs, leaving a space in the middle. The space won't show when the flowers are blooming, so it will look like you have more flowers than you planted. If you do this, use six bulbs.

Planting Instructions

• The larger the flower bulb, the larger the flowers will be once they have bloomed. Large bulbs should be planted between 3 and 6 inches from one another. Smaller bulbs can be 1 or 2 inches apart. This should be the case even if you cluster the bulbs together in the same hole. Plant them in holes that are dug about 8 inches deep into rich, well-draining soil. Overly wet soil causes the bulbs to rot. Planting should be done well before the first hard frost of fall.

Climate and Care

• Tulips are not very hardy. Although they are technically perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8, they sometimes do not bloom well their second and subsequent years. For this reason, many home gardeners in these zones grow them as annuals. Tulips need plenty of sun, soil on the dry side and proper care of the leaves. The latter should not be removed until they have died down completely, which allows the plant to return its nutrients to the bulb, where they will be stored until the following spring.

Other Considerations

• Tulips make excellent container plants, which protect the bulbs from hungry critters such as rodents and squirrels. Containers should have holes in the base to let the water drain out. Although tulips still need to be planted at a depth of about 8 inches, you can crowd them together in containers -- go ahead and let the bulbs touch one another but not the edge of the pot. If your in-ground bulbs are eaten before they can bloom, try planting them in bulb cages -- rodents can't get through the wire to reach the bulbs.