Planting tulips in Tennessee can be a bit tricky. You have to wait until it’s not too warm outside because you certainly don’t want them to start coming up too soon! Wait until the days are consistently cool before you plant. Usually the middle of November.
Below are more tips for planting tulips:
- Tulip bulbs do best if given full sun although they will tolerate a bit of shade (some afternoon shade will prolong flower life, especially in the South).
- They also like well-drained soil.
- Planting depth: of 5″ for large bulbs, and 4 ” for small bulbs.
- Spacing: 4″ apart for large bulbs, and 3″ apart for small bulbs.
- Fertilize the bulbs when the foliage pushes through the soil in early spring with bone meal. Don’t overdo it here. A light scattering of a low-nitrogen fertilize, preferably organic, is enough.
- Here in the Mid-South, we treat tulips as annuals since it doesn’t get cold enough for an extended period of time for them to come back as nice the next year.
- Once your bulbs have flowered, lift and discard them and replant with fresh ones next fall. If you do decide to leave them, the next season you will notice that many won’t bloom and the ones that do have flowers that are uneven in size and height.
Design Ideas For Planting Your Tulips
We like to plant our tulips in our garden in large drifts, and I love having them in my potager herb garden for spring interest as seen below.
We also like to plant tulip bulbs in planters on our deck in the fall underneath the pansies. That way, you have the cheerful pansies all winter, then come spring you have the tulips peaking their heads up out of the pansies. It’s always fun to watch them emerge and they’re beautiful blooming with the pansies. Since clay pots are porous, don’t plant your tulips in clay pots or the pots will deteriorate from the freezing and thawing during the winter months
I hope these tips for planting tulips in Tennessee has helped. Visit your local garden center or purchase some online from a reputable supplier like Beck’s Bulbs.
Learn More:
When to Apply Fertilizer and Compost to Your Garden
Three Reasons You Need to Apply Fertilizer
