How one can develop tulips – Suttons Gardening Develop How

One of the vital spectacular spring-flowering bulbs, tulips dazzle the post-winter backyard with their brilliant blooms. Plant these hardy bulbs in beds, borders and containers for a joyful burst of color and perfume come spring.

From delicate native varieties to scented giants, browse our full assortment of tulips right here. Once you’ve made your alternative, right here’s every part it’s essential to find out about rising them.

What are tulips?

Tulips are vibrant, perennial flowering bulbs obtainable in punchy reds via to delicate pastel pinks. They flower from mid- to late-spring alongside different well-liked bulbs like daffodils, narcissi and early alliums. 

First launched to the UK through the ‘tulip mania’ that swept via seventeenth century Europe, they’re again with a bang in trendy gardens. Grouped by flowering time, it’s straightforward to purchase a mixture of early, mid-season and late-flowering varieties to extend the color. Listed here are some our our crew’s favourites proper now:

• Tulip ‘Angelique’: These massive, pale pink, blousy flowers look greatest in teams, or picked and displayed indoors in a vase. Plant in containers close to your out of doors seating space to benefit from the perfume. 
• Tulip ‘Greenland’: Develop this when you’re after a more durable flower. The attention-catching inexperienced and pink petals present excellent climate resistance and make an ideal mid-spring splash in your herbaceous border.
• Tulip ‘Flaming Membership’: Create a thick carpet of color with these multi-headed stems. Plant en masse for a placing mixture of white and cherry pink. 

When to plant tulip bulbs

For the most effective outcomes, plant your tulip bulbs in November. You possibly can plant them from late October via to the tip of December, however you’ll must get them into the bottom earlier than it freezes. Your tulip bulbs want a chilly spell underground to scale back the probability of illness. 

The place to plant tulip bulbs

When planting your tulip bulbs within the floor, select a sunny spot with free-draining fertile soil. Group your bulbs collectively in the midst of the border to take pleasure in the most effective affect once they flower. To deliver out a tough darkish space, go for a spread with luminous white blooms like tulip ‘White Prince’. 

As a rule, keep away from uncovered areas. When you have a wind-prone backyard, a short-stemmed selection like the gorgeous bicoloured tulip ‘Ice Stick’ could do higher than a long-stemmed one. Alternatively, plant your new bulbs right into a container and shelter them behind a wall or fence. Use a peat-free multi-purpose compost with just a few handfuls of sharp sand or horticultural grit to enhance drainage. 

For a brilliant long-lasting show of color out of your spring containers, use your tulips to make a spring bulb ‘lasagne’. The layers of enormous, medium and small bulbs like crocus and daffodil emerge one after the opposite all through spring. In the event you’re , see our article ’How one can develop spring flowering bulbs’ to seek out useful planting ideas.

How deep ought to I plant tulip bulbs?

As a tough rule, plant your tulip bulbs deeper than you’ll different spring bulbs, aiming to get them at 3 times their very own depth with the pointed finish going through up. Tulip bulbs which might be deeply planted are safer from pests like slugs and have a greater likelihood of repeat flowering the next yr.

Use a particular bulb planter that can assist you get the proper depth. The software removes a core of earth, permitting you to drop your tulip into the soil after which simply re-cover. Create a incredible pure look in grass by dropping a handful of bulbs and burying them the place they fall.

How one can take care of tulip bulbs

Straight after planting your tulips, give the soil water to settle it snugly round your bulbs. Maintain the floor weed-free to take away any competitors for water or vitamins. You possibly can count on to see the guidelines rising from the soil in early spring. As they develop, preserve your bulbs moist however by no means enable them to be waterlogged.

Because the blooms burst in April and Could, lower just a few heads to take pleasure in indoors. In the event you’ve planted a container show, transfer your pots into a first-rate place to take pleasure in their full affect. When unhealthy climate is due, merely lower your blooms to take pleasure in indoors or transfer the pots right into a extra sheltered spot till it’s over.

What to do with tulip bulbs after flowering

As your flowers begin to fade, lower the stems utilizing sharp secateurs. This prevents seed heads from forming and prevents your bulbs from utilizing up very important power that may in any other case go into subsequent yr’s flowers. Depart the foliage to yellow and die again naturally. Nevertheless, when you’re rising native tulips with the aim of naturalising them, depart these to to kind seed heads to allow them to self-seed and unfold. 

When your container shows have completed flowering, you’ll be able to re-use the pots by emptying out the bulbs and storing them via summer time. Clear extra soil out of your bulbs gently with a brush once they’re dry and retailer them in a cool darkish area till November when they are often planted once more. 

Tulip flowers brighten any backyard area with high color in spring. They’re straightforward to develop when you know the way! Check out our professional recommendation on rising tulips to see what our favorite on-line bloggers need to say about rising these spectacular flowers. And when you’re after extra gardening gold, our rising guides have loads of recommendation that can assist you fill your beds with flowers all yr spherical.

Lead picture: Tulip ‘Triumph Combined’ from Suttons