Can You Replant Tulips That Have Bloomed?

Growing Season

• Tulips appear in late winter to early spring and bring color to dull late-winter gardens. They may hold their flowers into midsummer, depending on cultivar, but always yellow and die down after blooming. They stay dormant until late fall, when they put out new roots. Many gardeners dig bulbs up to replant flower beds with summer-flowering annuals.

Digging Bulbs

• The best time to dig and transfer, store or divide tulips is during their dormancy. North Dakota State University Extension recommends waiting until all foliage dries, then digging the bulbs and storing them in a cool, dark and dry place for the remainder of the summer.

Replanting Season

• Fall is planting season for tulips, so take the bulbs out of storage when annuals die and other plants go dormant. These bulbs require a cold winter germination period to encourage rooting and growth. Plant the tulip bulbs when temperatures reach 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but before the ground freezes. Take this opportunity to cut tulip bulbs at natural divisions, to propagate new plants.

Site and Soil

• Put tulips back in their original sites or choose new sites that get full spring and summer sun, good air circulation and quick winter drainage. Dig into the top 12 inches of soil in the planting beds and add 4 inches of organic compost to amend the soil. Always amend soil at new plantings to give the plants good nutrition and drainage. Add bone meal or bulb fertilizer to start the tulips out. Plant bulbs with their pointed ends up, at 3- to 4-inch depths and spacing. Leave the bulbs to root and look for spring blooming.