Tulips are a tried-and-true favorite in the spring garden. Their relative ease of care and cheerful, colorful blooms certainly contribute to their popularity. With few pests and diseases to contend with, they are an excellent way to dress up your flower beds without worry. 

These bulbous perennials have come a long way from the mild-mannered, wild varieties of the past. Once considered rare and costly, they are now widespread and easy to obtain. With hybridization dating back nearly 100 years, many beautiful and exotic tulip varieties are on the market today. 

What Is It?

Peony tulips are a group of decorative late-season hybrids. They are best known for their extra fancy double blooms in various colors and color combinations. From vibrant red to pastel pink, they are also a favorite in the floristry trade. Let’s take a look at these showy perennials.

Characteristics

Peony tulips are sometimes called double late tulips for their double petal form and late blooming habit. They have long, sturdy stems and large, fanciful, fragrant flowers. Their scent is often likened to peonies, hence the name. 

Their large, fluffy blooms also resemble their namesake, and each flower lasts longer than the average tulip. This is, in part, because of their abundance of petals. These hybrids grow taller than many other types, and as a result, they make a great addition to the cutting garden.

These fluffy confections grow from bulbs, which are best planted in the fall. This ensures the earliest spring sprouting and earlier blooming. 

Native Area

You might be surprised to learn that tulips are not originally native to Holland. Although the country is famous for the incredible drifts it cultivates, the native range for these plants is a bit more rugged. 

Tulips are primarily native to Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Near East. They were important to the culture of the Ottoman Empire and are often depicted in ancient artwork from that region. It wasn’t until the 1500s that these plants made their way to Europe. 

In terms of climate, tulips are surprising in many ways. In the wild, they tend to grow on steppes and mountainous regions with mild climates. These harsh conditions seem like the wrong place to find these sweet flowers. However, they seem to like these untrodden and often barren landscapes. 

Planting

Growing tulips from seeds is possible, but it is a lengthy process, taking up to seven years for your plants to bloom. You’ll find tulip bulbs to be more common and widely available for purchase. These bulbs are energy storage systems and lie dormant for much of the year. 

The ideal time to plant tulips is in late fall. They should go in the ground before your first expected frost date. Avoid planting them before any chance of a late heatwave has passed. Wait until the average temperatures stay below 60°F (16°C). This will typically fall about six weeks before that first freeze date. 

Planting in the fall, before the bulbs enter dormancy, allows them to establish some roots before the ground freezes. Plant your bulbs about five to six inches deep, with the flat end facing down and the pointed end up. 

Backfill over your bulbs and cover them with an insulating layer of mulch. Water them every few days until the ground freezes, at which point they will fall dormant. 

How to Grow

Like most plants, tulips are not difficult to grow as long as you provide the right care. Let’s talk about what that care looks like and have you on the road to growing beautiful peony tulips of your own. 

Light

In order for your plants to reach their fullest blooming potential, they need to receive full sun exposure. Over the course of the day, they should get at least six hours of sun. Otherwise, they may not bloom robustly, if at all. 

In warmer climates, you should give these plants a bit of shade in the afternoon. They are vulnerable to heat, so the morning sun is best in these areas. Give them as much sun as possible in cool climates for strong stems and fully developed blooms. 

Water

Watering is most important in the fall after you’ve planted your bulbs. If regular rainfall is not providing moisture to your beds, it’s best to supplement.

Water every two to three days so that the soil remains moist, but avoid muddy, soggy soil as this can rot the bulbs. The objective is to encourage your bulbs to root but not sprout. Stop watering when the ground freezes.  

In spring, follow the same guidelines. Water only when there hasn’t been regular rainfall and only enough to keep the soil moist. Be careful not to overwater. Once established, tulips need very little supplemental water except in periods of prolonged drought. 

Soil

The most important factors in soil are well-drained and loose soil. To loosen the soil in your bed, turn it over about 12 inches. If the soil is clay-heavy or sandy, amend it by mixing in organic compost, manure, or peat moss. 

Adding those organic materials will also help to keep the soil’s pH slightly low. Tulips prefer slightly acidic soil, with a pH between six and seven. Peat moss will decrease the soil’s pH, so don’t use it if your soil is already sufficiently acidic. 

Temperature and Humidity

Tulips need a period of cold weather in order to bloom well. Ten weeks of temperatures in the 30s is just about right, which is fine if you live in a colder climate. In Zones 7 and 8, you may have issues with a cold season that isn’t quite long enough. 

In warmer climates, you can help them by cold stratifying them before planting them. Store them in the refrigerator for several weeks before planting. Farther south, you can use this method to grow your tulips as annuals. Plant your bulbs at the onset of the coldest time of year. 

Tulips will pop up when temperatures reach the 50s for several days. Blooming should happen in mid to late spring, depending on how cold your climate is, with colder climates producing later blooms. 

Fertilizing

Your first application of fertilizer should take place at planting time. Don’t apply fertilizer to the holes you dig; direct contact will damage your bulbs. Instead, top dress the soil and allow the fertilizer to wash down into the soil with rain and watering. 

As soon as the foliage sprouts, fertilize again, in the same way, by top dressing. This will give your plants a boost to grow strong green growth. Use a balanced fertilizer with a ratio of 10-10-10. Don’t fertilize after your tulips bloom. 

Maintenance

After planting, mulch over your bulbs for the winter. This will help with drainage and protect your bulbs from rotting. For the same reason, it’s important to avoid overwatering your bulbs. They are efficient, and if you water, water deeply and infrequently. 

These plants pull nutrients back into their bulbs after they complete blooming. For this reason, cut the stems to the ground but leave the foliage alone. The leaves will dry out and turn brown as the bulb reabsorbs their energy. 

After they turn brown, cut the entire plant down to the soil level. In warm climates, where you grow tulips as annuals, dig up the bulbs and dispose of them. In cooler climates, top dress the soil with compost or manure for slow delivery of nutrients. Then, cover lightly with mulch. 

Propagation

While you technically can propagate most tulips by seed, it’s a time-consuming process, so it’s typically not done. Hybrids won’t usually breed true from seed; they will take up to five years to mature enough to bloom. 

Seeds

If you’re set on growing tulips from seed, leave the blooms on your plants until they have dried up and formed small seed pods. Remove the seeds and lay them to dry in a cool, dry, dark space. Store them in a cool place until you’re ready to germinate them.

Sow your seeds in trays with loamy compost, lightly cover them with compost, and then a thin layer of horticultural grit. Because they need cold to germinate, leave them outdoors in cool weather or refrigerate them if the weather is too warm. 

Offsets

Tulips will naturally produce offsets in time, and this is the easiest way to propagate. After they die back, dig up your bulbs gently, using a garden fork or your hands. Try not to damage them. Remove the immature offsets from the parent bulb. 

Store your young bulbs in a cool, dark, dry room over the warm months, and plant them in the fall. They may still take several years before they are ready to flower, but not as long as those grown from seeds. 

Popular Varieties

It would be difficult to even begin to represent all the wonderful varieties of peony tulips, but here are a handful of lovely and popular varieties that are easy to come by. 

‘Avant Garde’

	botanical name Tulipa ‘Avant Garde’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 18”-22”
	hardiness zones 3-8

‘Avant Garde’ has large, cream to pale yellow flowers that resemble garden roses. The stems are long and the blooms are large at up to five inches! It has a light fragrance, but it is not noteworthy. 

‘La Belle Epoque’

	botanical name Tulipa  ‘La Belle Epoque’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 14”-20”
	hardiness zones 3-8

‘La Belle Epoque’ has double the petals and blooms early, like all double earlies, closer to mid than late spring. The blooms are exceptionally pretty in a soft butterscotch, apricot blend of shades. These look amazing in a mass planting. 

‘Dream Touch’

	botanical name Tulipa  ‘Dream Touch’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 18”
	hardiness zones 3-8

‘Dream Touch’ is a double late variety with peony-like flowers. They are fully double-petaled and bloom later in the season and for a longer time. The gorgeous blooms are a deep magenta with purple highlights and lightly ruffled edges. 

‘Amazing Grace’

	botanical name Tulipa ‘Amazing Grace’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 18”
	hardiness zones 3-8

‘Amazing Grace’ has even more petals than the average peony variety! Masses of medium pink petals with just the slightest ruffling at the edges look like a pink peony. It has a light, pleasant fragrance and is attractive to pollinators.

Common Problems

Although tulips are relatively low maintenance and have few issues, a few pests and diseases may crop up. So, it’s important to be able to identify these problems. 

Pests

Every gardener has dealt with aphids once or twice, so it’s no surprise that these guys show up on nearly every list. They suck the sap from your plants and leave behind a sweet, sticky mess where mildew grows easily. 

Spray them off with a strong stream of water, but be careful not to damage your plants. Neem oil and horticultural oil can also be effective in treating aphids.

Slugs and snails can do serious damage to tulip flowers. They feed at night, and you might wake up to flowers covered in holes. Set bait or traps to get rid of these slimy pests. 

Bulb and spider mites can both be an issue. To deal with spider mites, use insecticidal soap after spraying them off with water. To avoid bulb mites, be careful not to overwater; this makes your bulbs more vulnerable by attracting mites. Always purchase quality bulbs to prevent them. 

Small rodents can also be a nuisance to your tulips. Deterrents like garlic and cinnamon can help, but a physical barrier will be the most effective deterrent.

Diseases

Rot diseases are the most common issue tulips face. Some start under the soil and ruin your bulbs, if they never sprout, there’s a good chance they rotted underground. 

Fungal and bacterial rots can also affect flowers and foliage. All of these diseases stem from overwatering, which is why it is important to water sparingly. 

Tulip-breaking virus is a fatal viral disease that affects plants. It manifests as streaks and mottling on foliage and flowers. It’s best to remove affected plants and dispose of them. 

Finally, tulip fire, caused by the pathogen botrytis, is another issue that can affect them. It shows up as dry, burned-up foliage and mold spots, which can lead to whole plant collapse. If you suspect this, immediately dig up and dispose of all affected bulbs. 

Frequently Asked Questions