Tulip Planting & Care

Select a planting site that receives full sun to partial shade, which is four to eight hours of sunlight daily. The farther south you live, the more shade the tulips will require. Make your site selection in early to mid-fall, before the first frost.

Lay down a 2- to 3-inch layer of peat moss or organic compost over the planting site if you have sandy or clay soil with poor drainage. Spread 2 lb. per 100 square feet of garden with 10-10-10 fertilizer over the peat moss or bare soil. Work the amendments into the soil with a tiller at a depth of 12 inches.

Dig holes with a small hand spade for your bulbs. The holes should be 8 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Insert the bulbs with the pointy end up, cover them with soil, and firm the soil with your hands. Water until the soil is moist to a depth of 8 inches. This watering will be enough to last the bulbs through the winter.

Cover the planting site with a 3-inch layer of organic mulch after the first frost passes to protect the bulbs from freezing in the ground. Rake up the mulch in the spring.

Water the bulbs to a depth of 8 inches once they begin to bud, whenever the soil feels dry. Apply the water directly to the soil instead of to the foliage to avoid rotting the flowers.

Harvest the flowers before the petals begin dropping, or as soon as you notice this happening, to prevent the bulbs from going to seed. Wait for the foliage to become yellow and wilted before you mow it back or cut it back in the fall.