It's Not Too Late to Plant Tulips!
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Tulip bulbs are typically planted in the fall, but what happens when you forget to plant them and it’s already January? You plant them anyway—in the ground or in pots! Here are my tips on how to plant bulbs in winter or late in the season.
What Do You Do With Forgotten Tulips?
A few Januaries ago, I came across a bag of tulip bulbs that had gotten misplaced in my gardening shed. Evidently, the dozen tulips hid when I had planted over 150 other bulbs in the previous October. I was looking forward to seeing this variety’s colors lining my garden path. At least, that was the plan.
After doing a little research, I came across a study about planting tulip bulbs on top of the ground and late in the season, done by Cornell University.
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- Researchers found that you can grow gorgeous tulips in only mulch, 2 inches being the optimum depth. They experimented with mulch layers up to six inches deep and determined the two-inch covering (renewed every autumn) produced the largest amount of flowers and the most vigorous plants.
- If you are looking at unplanted bulbs in December or January or even February—get them in the ground. Don’t wait for spring or next fall. Bulbs aren’t like seeds. They won’t survive out of the ground indefinitely.
How to Plant Tulips in Winter
According to the Cornell study (done over a six-year period), you should plant tulips during winter in this way:
- Clear away snow and loosen soil, if possible. If not, choose an area with soil full of organic matter.
- Scratch in bulb fertilizer. If the ground is totally frozen, scatter fertilizer sparingly and over a larger range than normal.
- Place bulbs on top of soil. Do not press them in, as this will damage the bulb base, where roots form.
- Cover with 2-4 inches of aged mulch or finished compost. Go for the thicker layer if planting during the height of winter, like I did.
- Renew mulch covering often to be sure there is at least a two-inch layer.
Before you plant those forgotten bulbs, make sure they’re still good. Gently squeeze them and if they are firm (not dry or spongy), they are probably fine. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Planting in Pots
If the ground is too frozen for digging, another option is to plant the bulbs in pots!
If you try this, keep the pots in a cool, unheated area with temperatures between 38°F and 50°F (3°C and 10°C)—an attached garage or a home refrigerator often does the job. Water them and keep the soil moist but never soggy. After 8 or more weeks, bring a few pots indoors. Or, once spring begins to warm things up, move the pots outdoors to bloom.
What If Bulbs Come Up Early in Winter?
It’s not uncommon to have a mild winter and find your tulips, daffodils, or other spring bulbs are sprouting. Don’t worry about this. Let nature take its course. Spring bulbs shrub off cold weather and even snow. These bulbs are built to survive the cold and even snow. Small bulbs such as snowdrops and crocus actually bloom through the snow. It’s possible that a hard frost will affect the buds or leaf tips, but the bulbs should still flower.
Bottom line: Take your chances. No matter what, the bulbs are better off giving it a fighting chance in the ground or a chilled pot than wasting away in the garage or cupboard. Flower bulbs are survivors by nature’s design. Every year, stories abound of bulbs that bloom after being planted under the most improbable circumstances.
Want more advice on planting and growing tulips? See our Tulips Growing Guide, as well as Fall Bulbs: Planting for Spring Flowers.
Doreen G. Howard
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After reading through this article, I sorted through bulbs that hadn’t been planted in fall. My grandsons and I salvaged bulbs that had started a stem. That was 3 weeks ago. Today (3/21), we counted 89 bulbs that have popped through the ground! The weather has been great, warm and wet, so we’re excited to see what makes it to a late bloom. Thanks for the info!
I am in Zone 9 and have some tulip bulbs that have already bloomed.
Should i plant them in pots or put them in the refrigerator for next spring?
Thanks for the tip. Exactly what I wanted to hear. Also putting chicken wire on top is a good idea from another poster.
After planting them in pots(February). Once they begin growth can you plant them in the ground.
If you have tulips growing in a container, do not dig out the bulbs.You can plant the entire pot in the ground. And once the foliage dies back, you can transplant the bulbs into your garden. They may bloom the following year; keep in mind that a lot of hybrid tulips don’t come back a second year and are treated as annuals.
Thank you, Robin Sweeney, for the great informative article on Clivias. It’s the most complete growing article I’ve seen thus far. Like others, I jumped in purse first, and bought a yellow flowering Clivia from White Flower Farm a few years ago. What I haven’t done, was move it into a cool dry space to encourage it to bloom, and so my blooms, as amazing as they’ve been, have shown up in June and July. I’m about to March that gorgeous greenery out to the garage for a long rest.
I’m curious about where one can find the variations you mention. I finally got a long awaited greenhouse built and look forward to Scratching a few specialty plants off my long list list.
Thank for all you do, and Happy New Year! You’re the Best!
Tulips are surprisingly hardy. We've had warm spells in January and February when the plants start peeking up from the ground. But then we get hard, freezing weather and I often wonder if the tulips and daffodils will survive. Yes, they do!! My only difficulty is keeping the squirrels and mice from eating the bulbs. Have had to plant them in "bulb saucers" and/or line the planting areas with gravel to keep the critters out!!
I read another article that informed to lay wide-wired fencing, almost like chicken fencing, across the top of the tulip bulbs to help prevent squirrels from stealing the bulbs. Hope this is helpful.
I always have some bulbs that I plant in the winter. Sometimes I get too tired of digging and planting in the fall, because I've been busy all summer and am busy canning, drying, and freezing in the fall. We usually have a week of warmer weather in January, even though I'm in northern Nevada where it snows etc. Anyway, I plant the ones I've had in the garage. They come up on time in the spring. One thing I always use with my bulbs is Epsom salts. I put a tablespoon or so in each hole and put the bulb in and cover with dirt. Then I sprinkle some on the top of the soil, so it'll fertilize extra when it snows or rains. The bulbs love the magnesium and the squirrels and other rodents don't eat my bulbs. If you can remember where your bulbs are year to year, you can sprinkle some Epsom salts on anytime in the fall or winter. I have so many, and such a large yard that I forget where some are. Always a great surprise when they come up.
At first I loved this idea, but if you have squirrels in your yard be advised that they LOVE tulip bulbs and planting them above the ground where they are scrounging for food in winter turns your bulbs into a welcomed winter banquet. Even planting at the appropriate depth in fall (late fall for me) does not completely prevent the squirrels from finding them. Layering with Daffodils (squirrels do not like them) helps create a barrier to the tulip bulbs in my garden but that would not be possible using the method described in this article.
