The tulip is a bulbous plant of which there are nearly 130 different species and more than 4,500 varieties. We love the colorful touches it brings to the garden, on the terrace, the balcony or the sill of a window since it can be grown in the ground or in a pot. The tulip is absolutely perfect because it grows everywhere. It is therefore ideal for all flower lovers, including beginner gardeners. Let’s see how to plant it, maintain it and take stock of what to do after flowering.
Plant tulips
The tulip loves well-drained soils and is content with any garden soil. She particularly enjoys the sunny situations sheltered from strong winds because the gusts can damage its flowers.
Planting time and method
We plant the tulips from autumn, from October until December 15, to have the pleasure of enjoying their flowering from the beginning of spring. But some people only buy their bulbs at the end of winter. In this case, it is essential to plant them immediately after purchase, if possible during the first days of spring in order to see them bloom a few weeks later.
To see it flourish big tulipsit is necessary to choose large caliber bulbs. Be careful at the time of purchase: we avoid bulbs that lack freshness. If they start to get dry, they won’t bloom.
The procedure to plant tulips in the ground is the following :
- Dig holes at a height representing 2.5 times the size of the bulbs, preferably using a bulb dibbler whose shape is cylindrical,
- Respect an interval of 15 cm between the holes,
- Put a handful of potting soil at the bottom,
- Place one bulb per hole, positioning it pointing upwards,
- Plug the hole and cover the bulb with 10 cm of soil,
- Tamp down moderately,
- In the absence of rain and if the soil is very dry, moderate watering is essential.
For a successful effect, it is advisable to create groups of at least 12 to 15 tulips, either of the same color or of matching colours, and you can also play on the shape of the flowers to create sumptuous compositions. .
Plant your tulips in a pot is no more complicated than installing them in the ground. In addition, the tulip really likes in planters and other containers. In an average pot, you can plant between 3 and 5 tulips. The bulbs should be covered with a good ten centimeters of soil. Be careful to use a pierced pot, which allows the water to drain well. A drainage layer such as clay balls or small pebbles can be placed on the bottom to promote the flow of rainwater or irrigation water.
You have to be careful, especially when you opt for a planting tulips in spring because the germ has already begun to develop. Above all, do not break it when handling it or covering it with earth.
Use of tulips
This is the undeniable asset of gardens in the spring. It can be used in beds, flowerbeds along an alley, in a rock garden, or in pots and planters. The tulip can be associated with many other spring-flowering plants and is an excellent solution to fill some gaps between perennials.
Many associations are possible by cultivating, for example, the tulip with grape hyacinth, daffodil, narcissus, hyacinth, iris, etc. For flower the base of potted shrubsdo not hesitate to plant tulips and others, which also allows you to take advantage of alternate flowering.
Take care of your tulips
It is not absolutely essential to store your tulips in a room during the winter (except exceptional cold) because they can easily withstand temperatures around -25°C. They are indeed beautiful rustics. If some gardeners overwinter their potted tulips, it’s more to protect the container from frost and prevent it from bursting.
The tulip one undemanding plant. We can possibly make a contribution ofbulbplant fertilizer at the time of planting and then as soon as the leaves point the tip of their nose in order to boost flowering.
About the watering, it is the spring rains that take care of it and that is enough. You can water your tulips only in case of severe drought or scorching temperatures.
Flowering of the tulip
Depending on the variety, the flowering of tulips takes place between early March and mid-June. Each bulb produces only one flower per year for the majority of species. More rarely, you can find so-called multiflora tulips. These are varieties with branched flower stalks which therefore give several tulips.
Once the deflowering, we cut the stem for an aesthetic reason but not only since thus the bulb will not be exhausted unnecessarily during the formation of seeds. But we do not touch the leaves because it is through them that the bulb stores nutrient reserves. You have to wait until they have faded to cut them, otherwise the bulb will not have time to build up its reserves or even reach maturity. A minimum period of 6 weeks after the end of flowering must be respected.
The bulbs can then be unearthed then put back. They can be placed in boxes and then stored in a cool, well-ventilated room until autumn, during which time they can be replanted. They will bloom again the following spring. We follow exactly the same process for tulips grown in pots if we want to store them outside the ground in a room.
However, it is not compulsory to store bulbs between two periods. They can very well remain in the ground all year round, and from one year to the next. Moreover, over time, they divide to give rise to other clumps. Those are the botanical tulips which multiply in this way. On the other hand, many new varieties left in the ground eventually become impoverished and produce smaller and smaller tulips from year to year. They therefore benefit from being dug up after flowering.