Tips for Planting Tulip Bulbs in Gardens, Raised Beds, Cutting Gardens, and Containers // Northlawn

ulips have been stealing the hearts of gardeners and florists for centuries. Their bold, brilliant blooms light up the spring garden with color, and a vase of tulips will fill your home with freshness, beauty, and cheer.

I vividly remember the first tulip I held in my small hands. There was an old cherry tree outside our dining room window, and each spring its fallen pink petals created a cozy blanket around the bright red tulips below. Naturally, I couldn’t resist heading into the garden to pick at least one crimson tulip to call my own.

While the tulips of my childhood were grown for garden enjoyment, I now grow mine for cutting. I love pulling the first tulip from the earth and hearing its familiar squeaky foliage between my hands. I plant hundreds of tulip bulbs each fall and enjoy a colorful harvest come April.

I find the best way to grow tulips specifically for cutting is to plant them in large trenches. These tulip trenches can be located in landscape beds, long rows, or raised beds. Dig your trench 6-7 inches deep and, if possible, 3-4 feet wide (wider than 4 feet makes it difficult to reach into the center of the bed to harvest). Plant the tulip bulbs as if you are filling an egg carton, with the bulbs almost touching. Then, backfill the area with soil and water well if the soil is dry.

If you have had trouble with squirrels digging up your bulbs, cover the planting area with chicken wire and secure it to the ground with landscape staples or rocks. Remove the chicken wire in spring when green shoots begin to emerge.

Gardeners like myself who grow tulips for cutting, usually treat them as annuals and plant fresh bulbs each fall. If you want to try for a second year of blooms, be sure to cut short stems and leave at least 2-3 leaves behind — to replenish the bulb’s energy. Be aware that first year flowers are usually significantly larger than flowers produced the second or third year.

For the longest vase life, single tulips should be harvested in bud stage when the color is evident but before the bloom is completely colored. Wait a bit longer to harvest parrot and double tulips. Their buds should be fully colored, but not yet open.

When harvesting, it’s best to pull the stems rather than cut them. Reach down to the base of the stem and pull out the entire tulip with the bulb attached. This will give you an additional 5-6 inches of stem length. Removing the bulb also immediately frees up the planting area so you can turn around and fill it with another crop.