Tulips Care

Tulips are a wonderful addition to any garden, characterized by bright showy blooms. These are bulb bearing flowering plants classified under the genus name Tulipa of the lily family, Liliaceae. More than 100 species of tulips are identified, from which several garden cultivars are developed with commercially important attributes. The fresh cut tulip flowers are used as gift items and also, for decorating home and office interiors.

No wonder, tulips are relegated as the third most valuable flower in the floral industry, next to rose and chrysanthemum flower. If you are interested in planting tulips, you can get so many options for selection. Based on your local climatic conditions and preferred time of blooming, you can choose tulip varieties for your garden. They are propagated by means of offsets, bulbs and seeds. And as long as you know the basic tulips care tips, maintaining tulips indoors or in the garden is not a concern.

Tulips Care Instructions

Tulips are easy to grow and maintain with basic gardening tips. They are perennials, but often grown as annuals. This is because the flower size of the same plant gets reduced after successive years of plantation. As far as care instructions are concerned, tulip plants are very adaptive and can be maintained in a wide range of growing conditions. Refer to the following guidelines for tulips care and maintenance:

Soil Condition
Tulips are best grown in any type of soil, the only thing is they cannot tolerate stagnant water or waterlogged soil. If exposed to such soil conditions, the roots will rot. The prepared soil should be moist, fertile and well-drained. Hence, if your potting media or garden soil is clayey or heavy, supplement with adequate amounts of sand and peat moss. This will aid in drainage of water and prevent root damage.

Select Tulip Bulbs
For quick establishment, you can purchase tulips bulbs (larger ones) and plant them in late fall or winter. Select fresh large bulbs that have no soft spots in the skin. It is said that larger bulbs produce larger blooms. So, you can check out tulip bulbs in nursery centers and choose the biggest bulbs. Do not forget to ask the supplier about disease and pest resistance of the selected tulip varieties.

Planting Tulip Bulbs
Tulip bulbs should be planted before the arrival of frost (preferably 2 weeks prior to frosting). Dig soil at a depth of about twice the bulb size. Place a single bulb in the hole and cover it with soil. Press the top soil lightly to remove soil pockets. Continue planting tulip bulbs at a spacing of 6 - 8 inch between two bulbs. You can lay a thin mulch layer to conserve soil moisture and promote leaf development.

Tulips Bloom Care
Water tulip plants regularly (1 inch per week), or as soon as the top layer turns dry. If you provide correct growing conditions, your garden tulips will bloom in spring. You should irrigate them deeply after the first flower buds develop. Make sure that the soil is not completely dry. Or else, it can cause withering of the blooms, while they are still on the plant.

Bulbs Storage
For enjoying larger blooms, majority of the gardening enthusiasts and commercial growers prefer uprooting tulip bulbs after the first flowering period is over. As the petals start drying out, cut the stem at the base and prune down drying leaves. Storing tulip bulbs is done carefully in a cool and dry place. As the growing time arrives, tulips bulbs are planted in pots or garden.

After you get yourself updated with tulips care information, nothing can stop you from growing and maintaining healthy tulip plants indoors or outdoors. Select fragrant tulip varieties of your preferred bloom color and fill flower garden with a heady fragrance. You can gift cut tulip flowers to declare love to your special one. Or arrange them in an attractive flower stand to decorate your room interiors.