Tulips

Tulipa

Big, bright tulips flower in mid to late spring. Plant the bulbs late in autumn, in soil that drains well and doesn't stay wet. Bulbs planted late get tulip fire, a fungal disease, less often. Many tulips only flower well in their first year. Where it matters most, plant fresh bulbs every year.

Looking after it

Water: Tulips need normal watering. Once the shoots are up, bulbs in the ground only need water after two or three weeks without rain. Keep pots watered from when the leaves appear, as drought cuts the flowering short. If the compost in a pot stays sodden in winter, move it out of the rain. Feeding: An average amount of feeding suits them. From early spring, give tulips in pots a high-potassium liquid feed, such as tomato feed, every week until the leaves turn yellow.

Cutting and after flowering

For the vase, cut them when the bud shows colour but hasn't opened yet. In the garden, cut off faded flowers just above the leaves. Leave the leaves until they turn the colour of straw. To keep the bulbs, dig them up about six weeks after flowering. Dry them and store them somewhere warm, dark and airy until autumn. Cut tulips last several days in a vase. They keep growing and bend towards the light. Top up the vase with cold water.

What can go wrong

Tulip fire. Brown spots appear and the leaves and flowers twist and wither, sometimes with grey mould. Dig out sick plants with their bulbs and put them in the bin. Plant late in autumn and grow tulips somewhere else for at least three years.
Squirrels and mice. They dig up the bulbs and eat them in autumn and winter. Cover the bed or pot with chicken wire until the leaves are up. Daffodils planted among them help, as squirrels avoid them.
Few or no flowers. From the second year on you get leaves but no flowers, or only small ones. Plant bulbs at least three times their own height deep and feed pots while the leaves are up. Replace tired bulbs with fresh ones.

Growing facts: RHS, UC ANR and seed-company sowing guides. Tulip care: RHS. pH: University of Connecticut soil testing lab. Pot size: Purdue University extension.