Plant large, disease-free tulip bulbs in sandy soil with added aged manure or tulip bulb food, and make sure there is good drainage and springtime sun. October and November, before the ground freezes, are the best months for planting tulips.
Plant tulip bulbs about three times as deep as the length of the bulb, and avoid overcrowding. You can thin out an overcrowded garden by digging up the tulips after most of the foliage has died, and dividing and replanting smaller bulbs.
Water your tulip bulb immediately after planting and, if winters are dry, continue to water the bulbs occasionally throughout the winter.
Sprinkle the tulips with bulb food when the first-season plants emerge during spring.
Deadhead your tulips, or remove the old flowers, if you do not intend to cut them for display. After deadheading, allow the leaves to remain and die naturally.
Leave dying tulips in the ground to feed the soil until June or July, then remove the dead plants.
Cut tulips with gardening shears when the flowers have reached peak color, but are not yet open, if you wish to use them in bouquets or displays.